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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27953999">Castle Bats</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/smouse348/pseuds/smouse348'>smouse348</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Batfamily (DCU), Gen, Hogwarts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 00:15:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>20,101</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27953999</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/smouse348/pseuds/smouse348</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Bat-Kids - Dick, Jason, Tim, Damian and semi-OC Helena (based on Helena Wayne/Helena Bertinelli aka Huntress but with a completely new backstory) are on a mission to prevent war in the British Wizarding world, and protect a young man by the name of Harry Potter. Armed with their utility belts, wit, and brand new magic wands the five siblings leave the nest (and Gotham) in the rear view mirror to save the world (or at least a large number of people living in the world) - learning a little magic, and trying not to blow their covers in the process. (T- for language, mainly Jason, and some non-graphic cannon-typical violence)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Shopping and Other Necessary Evils</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a fanwork, DC Comics takes credit for Batman and co. JK Rowling for Harry Potter.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“We’re hosting a private fitting this morning, we’ll be open to the public by 11,” Madam Malkin informed the four teen boys who’d just entered the shop, looking up from where she was standing behind the counter.</p><p>“The Wayne fitting?” Dick checked and she nodded, “That’d be us.”</p><p>“Of course. Come in,” Malkin nodded to them rounding the counter, “Hogwarts, dear?” she asked Damian, who looked a little ruffled by the endearment and didn’t respond.</p><p>“Yes, ma’am, all of us,” Dick told her politely, pulling out slightly crumpled folded sheet of paper from his pocket and making a valiant effort to flatten the paper against the counter. The letterhead read in a neat Typewriter style script: ‘From the Desk of Helena W.’ and having decided the page was decent enough Dick re-read his sister’s neat handwriting:</p><p>     <strong>Purchase per Person   *Hogwarts students*</strong></p><ul>
<li><strong>Standard robes – 3 </strong></li>
<li><strong>Unassigned ties – 4 </strong></li>
<li><strong>White, collar shirts – 7</strong></li>
<li><strong>Leg clothing items (either black trousers or approved skirts) – 7 total</strong></li>
<li><strong>Black blazer, unassigned crest</strong></li>
<li><strong>Hat, black, pointed – 1 </strong></li>
<li><strong>Dragon hide gloves – 1 pair </strong></li>
<li><strong>Standard winter cloak (black, silver fasteners) – 1 </strong></li>
<li><strong>Snow cloak, faux fur, suitable up to -30°C – 1 </strong></li>
<li><strong>Unassigned knit scarf – 1 </strong></li>
<li><strong>Unassigned knit hat – 1 </strong></li>
<li><strong>Unassigned mittens – 1 pair </strong></li>
<li><strong>Various vests and sweaters – unassigned or plain grey, your picks </strong></li>
<li><strong>Grey socks, unassigned cuff stripes – 10 pair</strong></li>
</ul><p>
  <strong>*Get name tags put in everything, use last name Wayne*</strong>
</p><p>“I’m not completely sure what some of this means, but standard robes, unassigned ties,” Dick shook his head a little trailing off, “Do you mind?” he asked, offering the list to Madam Malkin who took it with a kind smile.</p><p>     “I can help you with the major clothing items, gloves are over there, those shelves are all the unassigned accessories, and sweaters are against that wall,” she explained, “And I see your measurements are noted at the bottom.”</p><p>     “Yes,” Dick nodded, “Helena’s very thorough.”</p><p>     “Best fit trousers and shirts to these measurements,” Madam Malkin instructed handing the sheet to her assistant, whose name tag identified her as ‘Carla’. Carla nodded ducking into a back storeroom.</p><p>     “Are the glove sizes consistent with standard European sizing?” Tim asked, from where he was looking through the dragon hide gloves.</p><p>     “Yes they are,” Madam Malkin assured him, “Who would like to go first?”</p><p>     When no one jumped at the opportunity, Dick took a moment to survey his brothers: Damian was poking through a rack of snow cloaks, Tim was perusing the unassigned accessories aisle, and Jason was sitting in a waiting chair near the door, headphones around his neck and head bowed in sleep.</p><p>     “Jason will,” Dick announced, loud enough to jolt the other teen from his half-nap, “Go easy on him, he’s still a little jet lagged.” Dick chuckled, hauling Jason up and giving him a gentle push towards the fitting area.</p><p>     Madam Malkin gave the boy a rather sympathetic look, collecting a black robe from a rack as he took off his jacket and headphones, hanging them on a hook next to the dressing rooms before stepping up onto a footstool, still a little bleary.</p><p>     “Different time zone?” she asked, as Dick took a large wicker basket and went to join Tim near accessories.</p><p>     “And the seven-hour flight cross the pacific,” Jason told her as she helped him into a robe.</p><p>     “You flew?” Carla asked, rather incredulously, as she hung white shirts and black trousers on four different pegs next to the dressing rooms, “Seven hours on a broomstick, that must have been horrible.”</p><p>     “Huh?” Jason hesitated, his brain was having trouble keeping up today, “We took the jet.” Madam Malkin knelt to pin the hem of his robe but the assistant looked confused, “An airplane.” Jason clarified.</p><p>     “Ah, muggle born?” Carla guessed. Jason grunted in the affirmative, not entirely sure what he was confirming.</p><p>     “Miss Clara?” Damian asked, “I have questions.” He nodded to a black snow cloak he’d removed for a rack and hung on a wall sconce, “What type of fur? Does this design in a hooded style? And to what freezing temperature degree is it suitable for?”</p><p>     “Dami, try these on,” Dick instructed, holding out a pair of the dragon hide gloves – Helena had spent over an hour explaining how they were made humanely from the hides of dragon who passed away naturally (it could have all been lies, only Bruce could really tell with her) but it was enough to get Damian to agree to wear them.</p><p>     “They’re good,” Damian told him pulling them off and handing them to Dick.</p><p>     “Thank you,” Dick grinned a little smug, turning to throw the approved gloves across the store to Tim, who caught them easily and dropped them into the basket.</p><p>     “Jay, try these on,” Dick instructed, going to Jason next who put them on and nodded mutely to him pulling them off and passing them back.</p><p>     “That’s your robe done, dear,” Madam Malkin told him, “Let me, there’s pins in the cuffs.” She added when he moved to shrug it off, carefully maneuvering it off his broad shoulders.</p><p>     “Tim, sizing on gloves is right, grab those mittens,” Dick instructed, dropping the gloves into the basket next to his younger brother.</p><p>     “Try these shirts and pants for best fit,” Madam Malkin instructed, taking two shirts and two pants from the hooks and handing it to him, nodding to the dressing room.</p><p>     “This cloak: synthetic fur lining and edging, with hood, silver fastenings, apparently good up to 35 bellow,” Damian announced, holding the item up for Dick to see, “I’m requesting one for each of us.”</p><p>     “Nice choice,” Dick nodded, “Now go get fitted for robes and be sure to try on the cloak.” Damian nodded putting the cloak on the counter.</p><p>     “Take it in around the waist, it looks baggy,” Damian said, looking Jason over as he came out of the dressing room.</p><p>     “Just a little tailoring should fix that,” Jason shrugged stepping up onto the second footstool as Madam Malkin helped Damian into his school robe.</p><p>     “You’d like us to tailor the shirts and trousers for you?” Madam Malkin asked with a raised eyebrow.</p><p>     “Naturally,” Damian told her, holding his arms to the side so she could examine the hem, “Do you not do that here?” he asked.</p><p>     “No, we do offer tailoring, it’s just not a common request from students,” she told him, “Carla, would you pin… um, it’s Jay right?”</p><p>     “Jason, but Jay’s fine,” Jason told her.</p><p>     “Yes, we’re going to make all the adjustments at the seam lines, so hold still for me,” Carla told him.</p><p>     “Youth is no excuse for a shoddy appearance,” Damian reminded.</p><p>     “Okay we’ve got the dragon hide gloves, the mittens, five hats, five scarfs, five tie packs – each containing five ties, its more than she suggested but,” Tim shrugged leaning towards Dick but not actually lowering his voice that much, “You’ve seen Jason eat barb-a-que.”</p><p>     Damian smirked and Dick chuckled.</p><p>     “Oh yeah, kick the guy when he’s down,” Jason complained.</p><p>     “Socks, eight per pack, one small, one medium, two large,” Tim finished, holding up the basket to Dick.</p><p>     “I am not small,” Damian reminded, as Madam Malkin helped him out of his now pinned robe.</p><p>     “It’s just a size, and your feet are,” Dick reminded.</p><p>     “Try these on for best fit,” Madam Malkin instructed, handing him a couple of shirts and trousers.</p><p>     “Go try on your snow cloak,” Dick told him, taking the large basket and grabbing four smaller ones which he put on the table, sorting through so that all of each brother’s items were in one basket and adding four packets of name tags to each.</p><p>     “Do you have any paper?” he asked, and Carla, who’d finished with Jason and sent him to change out of the shirt and pants.</p><p>     “Yes, here,” Carla told him, passing him a page of parchment, which Dick tore into tenths putting each of their names on two pieces.</p><p>     <strong>Damian: D. Wayne * Tim: T. Wayne * Jason: J. Wayne * Dick: R. Wayne * H. Wayne</strong></p><p>      Technically their names were hyphenated – Bruce had always made it clear that while they were family now, their parents were still their parents, and they could go by whatever name they wanted – however, it had proved easier when they could all be filed away under one letter. It also meant that they would be grouped together in any alphabetical sorting: Wayne, Damian; Wayne, Helena; Wayne, Jason Todd; Wayne, Richard Grayson; Wayne, Tim Drake.</p><p>“For the labeling,” he clarified to Carla as Jason re-appeared.</p><p>     “Four more things and were all done with you,” Carla told him, collecting a basic winter cloak, a black blazar, one of the matching black snow cloaks and a pointed hat, while Malkin pinned the hems of Damian’s trousers.</p><p>     “Pick out some sweaters,” Dick suggested, as Tim tried on various top hats, and Carla released Jason from pinning.</p><p>     “This’ll be Jason’s hat,” Carla announced, and Dick pointed her to the Jason basket, she gave him a grateful smile, and hung the six hangers with Jason’s other items on a rack behind the counter, using a silver hoop to clip them together and pinning the second piece of parchment with Jason’s name to the front.</p><p>     “I can get pinned next,” Tim offered, coming over with an armful of items from the sweater area, and obediently moving the name card in his basket so that he could put the sweaters underneath, “Two sweater vests, one full sweater, one buttoned sweater and more of a cardigan sweater.” He reported to Dick and then headed over for pinning.</p><p>**</p><p>     “Alright, that should be everything,” Dick announced, checking his watch, it’d felt like a lot longer than the hour and a half they’d really been there for.</p><p>     “One moment,” Madam Malkin told him, typing the receipt into her classic till, “You’re each getting seven shirts, seven trousers, and three plain robes all tailored.”</p><p>     Dick nodded in confirmation.</p><p>     “Well then that’ll be 28 shirts, 28 trousers, 12 school robes, 4 black blazers, 4 of the hooded faux fur snow cloaks and 4 of the plain black winter cloaks, all getting tailored,” Madam Malkin read off as she typed, “You’re also getting 4 of the four-piece tie sets, 4 of the eight-piece sock sets, 4 pointed hats, 4 pairs of mittens, 4 pairs of dragon hide gloves, 7 sweater vests, 5 full sweaters, 4 buttoned sweaters, 2 cardigans, 5 knit scarfs. Five?” She checked, looking up for Dick’s nod of confirmation.</p><p>     “Yes, ma’am,” he told her.</p><p>     “5 knit scarfs, and 5 knit hats,” she finished, adding the final things in.</p><p>     “Does this come in black?” Damian asked, a navy-blue buttoned vest in one hand.</p><p>     “Not now, Dami,” Dick told him before Madam Malkin could reply.</p><p>     “In total that will come to… 8,530 Galleons, 7 sickles and 5 knuts,” she announced after a moment. There was the gentle ding of the bell on the door.</p><p>     “We’re just finishing up a private session,” Madam Malkin began.</p><p>     “Hi <strong>Dad</strong>,” Dick greeted pointedly, “We’re just wrapping up.” He added with a smile.</p><p>     Bruce nodded, reaching over to shake Jason’s shoulder where he’d fallen back asleep after his fittings.</p><p>     “Five more minutes,” Jason groaned, and Helena rolled her eyes.</p><p>     “Iced Caramel Mocha, double extra shot of caffeine, with whipped cream and four pumps chocolate syrup,” Helena told him holding up the Wayne Tech travel mug she was carrying.</p><p>     “You’ve always been my favorite,” Jason told her, sitting up to take the drink.</p><p>     “And you’ve never been a morning person,” she laughed.</p><p>     “Dick, take your brothers to get wands?” Bruce suggested, pulling a small pouch of coins from his briefcase and handing it to him, “Then the ice cream parlor for Italian Sodas, we’ll meet you there at 11. There’s a lunch reservation so don’t eat.”</p><p>     “I saw a candy shop on our way over…” Dick hinted taking the coins, while Damian and Helena flicked through a rack of vests.</p><p>     “Taste, buy, don’t eat,” Bruce instructed, “There should be more than enough in there.” He added nodding to the bag of coins.</p><p>     “Jay, Tim, Dami, sweet shop, wands, Italian Sodas,” Dick grinned, Tim took off the top hat he’d tried on and Jason got up.</p><p>     “This goes where I go,” Jason told him, pointing to the travel mug he was holding.</p><p>     “I’ll catch up, I’m going to get fitted for a vest,” Damian told him, which Dick recognized was code for ‘I enjoy clothes shopping with my sister but am too much of a badass to admit it’.</p><p>     “Oh, and Dick? Get something chocolate for Alfred.” Bruce added.</p><p>     “Alright,” Dick smiled as the older three brothers left.</p><p>     “I picked this style for the snow cloaks,” Damian announced pulling one off the shelf.</p><p>     “Oh, that is gorgeous,” Helena told him, “Silver metal work?” she asked taking a closer look.</p><p>     “Faux fur lining; meets all the criteria you listed,” Damian told her with a nod.</p><p>     “Go try on your vest,” Helena told him with a smile, turning to select a pair of pants. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Apothecary, Cauldrons and Parchment</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Shopping for five kids takes a while...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>        “Helena, in 15 minutes your fitting stars,” Bruce told her, “Or we’ll never get out of here.” He added to Carla, who chuckled, before turning to take the already pinned items from the rack into back sewing room.</p>
<p>            “Side pleats, or full pleats?” Helena asked, holding up both the skirt options for Damian to see.</p>
<p>            “What about that A-line pencil skirt?” Damian suggested, noticing something over her shoulder.</p>
<p>            “Sheath or with the cross over button?” Helena asked him, turning.</p>
<p>            “The cross over button is a little more you but the sheath is a little more practical,” Damian told her, “Try them on?” he suggested.</p>
<p>            “It’s going to snow in the winter,” Bruce reminded.</p>
<p>            “You start on sweaters, I’m going to get my gloves,” Helena told Damian, putting the items they’d already taken off the rack in a fitting room.</p>
<p>            “We got you a scarf and hat already,” Damian told her.</p>
<p>            “Gloves, mittens, socks,” Helena muttered grabbing the large basket from next to the counter and adding things from accessories, “Fleece leggings.” She smiled, taking down seven pairs. She grabbed a package of the ties.</p>
<p>            “Dami, ascot?” she asked with a smile, holding the box of silk scarfs up, and then grabbing a box of ribbons. She took a pair of headbands and a bunch of the hair clips.</p>
<p>            “Sweater vest?” He held it up for her approval and she put the basket on the ground next to him and taking a couple of steps back.</p>
<p>            “One.” She told him and he dropped it into the basket.</p>
<p>            “Full sweater?”</p>
<p>            “Two of those.”</p>
<p>            “Buttoned sweater?”</p>
<p>            “Two.”</p>
<p>            “Cardigan?”</p>
<p>            “Yes please,” she smiled at him, “Do they have any half buttons? I’ll take one of those.” She grinned, as he pulled one off a shelf, before she went into the next aisle to look at the other sweaters. She added a cropped cashmere, a long sweater with a tie around the waist and a pair of sweater shirts.</p>
<p>            “Dami,” she grinned popping out from behind a shelf, “Turtle-neck~” she added in a sing song tone, holding the sweater up.</p>
<p>            “Two.” He told her nodding.</p>
<p>            “I have to get fitted for my robes,” Helena grinned, “You inherited my good taste so pick out the three best dresses in here for me.”</p>
<p>            “I’m fairly sure you both got <strong>my</strong> good taste,” Bruce corrected, pulling his phone from his pocket as it started ringing, “It’s Lucius, excuse me.” He put his briefcase on the floor next to the changing rooms where Helena could clearly see it and then stepped outside.</p>
<p>            “It’s <strong>my </strong>good taste,” Helena assured smiling approvingly at the three dresses – all rather plain school/work wear – Damian had pulled off the racks and hung on the dressing room door.</p>
<p>            “You’d better go get your wand done,” she added shrugging out of the robes when Madam Malkin finished and going to change, “Olivander’s just down the way we came past Eyelops Owl Emporium but if you’ve hit the Apothecary you’ve gone too far.” She instructed.</p>
<p>            “Owl Emporium?” Damian asked, interest peeked.</p>
<p>            “You’ve already got an owl,” Helena told him coming out wearing one of the pleated skirts and a white button down.</p>
<p>            “Please,” Damian offered with a smile, “Just a look?”</p>
<p>            “Take five of the gold coins from my purse, they’re called Galleons. You may buy some owl <strong>treats</strong> for the bird we already own.” She told him carefully, “No owl, and you have to get your wand first.”</p>
<p>            “Yes,” he promised with a nod.</p>
<p>            “Have Olivander keep your wand in holding with the others, I’ll pay for them when I pick them up later. And then go to the ice cream parlor.” Helena added as he headed out of the store.</p>
<p>            “He’s a sweet kid,” Madam Malkin observed as the door closed.</p>
<p>            “Yeah, once you get past the frosty exterior,” Helena agreed moving to change clothes again.</p>
<p>**</p>
<p>            “I’m dropping them off tomorrow,” Bruce said, phone to one ear, “I’ll head direct to the airport from there, with the time difference and a good tailwind I can probably be back in time for the shareholders at three.”  </p>
<p>            <em>“Don’t bother, I’ve already told the board of directors you’re in England through the weekend and I’ll be acting on your behalf with your full support. I also pushed the shareholders meeting to Tuesday next week,” </em>Lucius told him.</p>
<p>            “Thank you, Lucius,” Bruce smiled, checking his watch, five minutes to eleven, “I better go, I’m sending the boys to a lunch reservation.”</p>
<p>            “Alright Helena, it’s almost eleven, time to wrap up,” Bruce told her coming into Madam Malkin’s, “Where’s Damian?” he asked.</p>
<p>            “He’s getting his wand, and then going for treats at the Owl Emporium, before meeting with the other three at the ice cream parlor,” Helena explained, she was wearing the heavy snow cloak while a few small adjustments were made.</p>
<p>            “I already bought you an owl,” Bruce reminded.</p>
<p>            “He’s just gone for treats,” Helena sighed.</p>
<p>            “If he’s bought another owl, I’m holding you personally responsible,” Bruce told her, opening his briefcase and pulling out a velvet pouch of coins, “You can finish up here?”</p>
<p>Helena nodded, “I doubt I gave him enough money for an owl.”</p>
<p>“You’ll be packing the school trunks for all your brothers,” Bruce told her, leaving.</p>
<p>Helena laughed, as the cloak was removed from her shoulders, “All the items in the basket and that I’ve selected should have name tags that read ‘H. Wayne’.” She instructed as the additional items were placed on the rack, tucking the two turtlenecks in among Damian’s items, “Now, how much do I owe you?” she asked with a smile.</p>
<p>**</p>
<p>            “Damian?” Bruce asked looking around the small shop and then heading for the counter, “I’m looking for my son Damian.”</p>
<p>            “Black hair, blue eyes, about 12 years old?” the woman asked him.</p>
<p>            “Yes.”</p>
<p>            “Mr. Clancy took him up into the tower to talk about birds,” she told him pointing to a narrow spiral staircase.</p>
<p>            “Thank you,” Bruce smiled.</p>
<p>            “Damian, there you are,” he nodded to the youngest three stories later at the top of the tower.</p>
<p>            “Father, look, it’s a Northern Pygmy owl,” Damian told him a small bird cradled in his cupped hands.</p>
<p>            “Still a little thing, but he’ll grow a bit more as he ages,” the older man, Mr. Clancy added.</p>
<p>            “The bird or my son?” Bruce asked, getting a glare from Damian and a hearty chuckle from Mr. Clancy.</p>
<p>            “Both, I predict,” Mr. Clancy assured.</p>
<p>            “Please, Father,” Damian held up the bird for Bruce to look at, it was a bit smaller than his fist with large yellow eyes and grey feathers.</p>
<p>            “You’ve already got an owl,” Bruce reminded him, knowing it was already pointless.</p>
<p>            He sighed when Damian didn’t respond.</p>
<p>            “It has to stay in its cage until you get to school, and you have to agree to put the cat in a carrier until you’re on the train,” Bruce told him.</p>
<p>            “It is beneath his dignity for Alfred to be caged,” Damian told him.</p>
<p>            “It is extremely expensive to get a jet re-carpeted,” Bruce countered.</p>
<p>            “I agree to your terms,” Damian announced after a moment of consideration.</p>
<p>            “Come on let’s go pick a cage, and some treats,” Bruce said taking a step back and watching his son and Mr. Clancy descend first.</p>
<p>**</p>
<p>            “I see you bought an owl,” Helena observed, falling into step next to Bruce as they walked towards the ice cream parlor, Damian strutting along in front of them with the caged bird.</p>
<p>            “<strong>He</strong> bought an owl,” Bruce corrected.</p>
<p>            “A Northern Pygmy owl is going to cost at least 7 Galleons, and there’s treats and toys in the bag,” Helena pointed out, “I only gave him 5 Galleons. Oh, and our order at Madam Malkin’s came to 11,000 Galleons and change, ready for pick-up by 3:00.”</p>
<p>            “I’m still holding you responsible,” Bruce told her, taking the briefcase she offered him.</p>
<p>            “Well I guess I’m packing school trunks this evening,” Helena smiled, “and bags.”</p>
<p>            “Try not to be so happy about it,” Bruce reminded, “It’s a punishment.”</p>
<p>            “It’s live action Tetris,” she corrected, still grinning, “What’s not to love?”</p>
<p>            “Did you get them?” Bruce asked, electing to not respond.</p>
<p>            “I’ve still got friends on this side of the pond,” Helena told him pulling a leather ticket case from her purse.</p>
<p>            “I’ll pick up the package at the bank,” Bruce told her, looking to his watch.</p>
<p>            “I’ll talk to the boys,” Helena told him, and they split up Helena going to the outdoor table where the brothers were drinking their sodas, “I’ve got a little treat for you.” She announced with a smile.</p>
<p>            “Oh?” Dick asked.</p>
<p>            “If it’s more clothes shopping, I’d like decline,” Jason told her, never removing the straw between his lips.</p>
<p>            “Box seats to a quidditch match, it’s a wizarding sport played on broomsticks, a cross between basketball, baseball and hide-and-go-seek,” Helena told them, “But before you go, you have a reservation at the highest rated Gastro-Pub in London where you’ll be meeting a friend of mine, Oliver Wood. He was the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team while he was at Hogwarts and now plays professionally, he’ll explain the game and go with you to the match.”</p>
<p>            “Six tickets, the reservation card for the restaurant and Oliver’s contact card. Alfred’s waiting outside with the car, he’ll drop you off for lunch, deliver your purchases to the hotel and then accompany you to the match.” Helena explained, giving the ticket pouch to Dick, along with a bag of coins, “Snacks, concessions, memorabilia, whatever you want from the stadium.” She explained.</p>
<p>            “So, we’re done shopping?” Tim asked, a little suspicious.</p>
<p>            “And instead of having to help get all our school items and pack them up you got us luxury seats at a sports game?” Jason added.</p>
<p>            “Yes, I have agreed to take that bullet on your behalf,” Helena told them, “Don’t think of it as an afternoon off, think of it as research. Oliver can answer your questions, quidditch and otherwise. Go on, Alfred’s waiting for you.” She added shooing them off.</p>
<p>            “What’s the real reason?” Dick asked in a hushed voice stepping close to his sister, so they were shoulder to shoulder as the other three moved to bus their table.</p>
<p>            “Three fold, it’s exhausting to shop with all five of us, Dad and I have some special shopping to do, and honestly you guys could use a little research time so you’re not walking in blind,” Helena told him, counting them off on her fingers.</p>
<p>            “Smart,” Dick mused, picking up the bag of sweets.</p>
<p>            “You are going to have to do one final thing before you leave,” Helena told them, waving for them to follow her towards the bank, where Bruce was waiting, a medium sized travel trunk at his feet.</p>
<p>            “Take this with you to the car, tell Alfred to lock it in a closet in our suite,” Helena told them, patting the top of the trunk, “It shouldn’t be heavy, but there are fragile items so be careful.”</p>
<p>            “Have fun at the game, I’m told it can be spectacular,” Bruce added smiling. Dick passed the bag of candy off to Tim and with him and Jason each taking one handle they lifted the trunk with ease and headed back towards the Leaky Cauldron.</p>
<p>            “You go to the apothecary, and I’ll go to Twinkles’ Telescopes and gut 5 brass telescopes and a lunascope,” Bruce suggested reading a list of items they still needed to buy, “A lunascope?” he added.</p>
<p>            “Ask Twinkles they’ll know what it is,” Helena told him.</p>
<p>            “And we’ll want it all labeled,” Bruce added, “Meet at the parchment place.”  </p>
<p>            “If you ask for cases they can be monogrammed with initials, and you can have the telescopes etched with names. Lunascope should be in a separate case, and its mine.” Helena added, and the two split up.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>            “Hello,” Helena greeted coming into the apothecary and heading straight for the counter.</p>
<p>            “Hogwarts student?” the elderly woman asked.</p>
<p>            “Yes, my siblings too,” Helena told her.</p>
<p>            “What’ll you need?” she asked with a smile, taking a piece of parchment and writing things down</p>
<p>            “Five basic potion ingredient sets, three advance level potion ingredient sets, and a single Alchemy ingredient kit,” Helena started, “I’m also going to want five black and one grey ingredient carriers.”</p>
<p>            “Shall I have names put on the cases?” the woman offered, Helena nodded, “Spell them out for me?” she asked handing her quill to Helena and letting her take the parchment:</p>
<p>
  <strong>Richard G. Wayne * Jason T. Wayne * Tim D. Wayne * Damian A. Wayne * Helena S. Wayne</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>DG * JT * TD * DW * HW  </strong>
</p>
<p>            “There should be a black and a grey one for Helena,” Helena told her passing the parchment and quill back, “I’ll also need five brass scales and one silver scale. With the initial letters etched on the side.”</p>
<p>            “And the silver one should have ‘HW’ on it as well?” the woman guessed, “I presume you are the one taking alchemy.”</p>
<p>            “Yes,” Helena nodded, “And 5 of the complete tool cases, full knife set, with the tweezers, extra set of phials, mortar and pestle.”</p>
<p>            “The complete ones also have magnifiers, and a set of hourglasses,” she was informed.</p>
<p>            “Wonderful,” Helena smiled.</p>
<p>            “I’ll have initials etched on all the tools, but we don’t offer that for phials,” the woman told her, “And I’ll make sure their full names get put on the cases.” She added.</p>
<p>            “You are amazing,” Helena told her.</p>
<p>            “I have twin younger brothers, anything that wasn’t labeled they squabbled over,” she observed, “I understand.”</p>
<p>            “Four younger brothers, our father ended up having to color code water bottles, we each get a color: Damian’s green, Tim’s yellow, Jason’s red, Dick’s purple and I got blue,” Helena smiled, as the shopkeeper finished writing up the receipt, “I’ll also want five of the potion labeling sets.”  </p>
<p>            “Pick up after one?” the elder woman offered adding to her notes.</p>
<p>            “Sounds perfect,” Helena smiled, pulling out her wallet, “What do I owe you?”</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>            “Students typically go through around two parchment packs a semester, more if they’re taking additional classes,” Percival explained, “And they can always send in an order by owl, or if they’re old enough go to our branch in Hogsmede on the weekend.”</p>
<p>            “Fifteen packs then,” Bruce nodded, “I have five students, four over achievers and one super over-achiever.”</p>
<p>            “I’m assuming that’s me,” Helena smiled, leaning against the counter next to her father.</p>
<p>            “I’m not wrong, you’re taking, what? Ten classes?” Bruce asked.</p>
<p>            “I plead the fifth,” Helena told him taking a tray and walking over to select quills.</p>
<p>            “Could I see that pen, please?” Bruce asked looking into a pen case.</p>
<p>            “Of course,” Percival told him pulling the display tray out and placing it on the counter, and Bruce picked up a black and silver fountain pen with silver designs.</p>
<p>            “Could I get six of these, with names engraved on the clips?” Bruce asked.</p>
<p>            “Yes of course, just write down the names for me,” Percival told him, passing a piece of paper to Bruce: <em>Dick - Jason - Tim - Damian - Helena - Bruce. </em> </p>
<p>            “Alright these quills and these five quill cases,” Helena announced placing five tin cases on the counter – each with a space for the quills and a little pocket for an ink bottle – and the tray of quills next to it.</p>
<p>            “Could the quill cases have initials etched into them?” Helena asked, taking the paper from Bruce and adding: DG, JT, TD, DW, HW.</p>
<p>            “We’d also like fifteen black inks, ten blue inks, five green inks, and two color-changing inks,” Helena added with a smile.</p>
<p>            “I’m going to need to pop into the store room for some of those inks,” Percival told her, “One minute.”</p>
<p>            “Everything finished at the Apothacary?” Bruce asked.</p>
<p>            “Pick up after 1:00,” Helena told him, “The telescopes?”</p>
<p>            “Pick up after 1:30,” Bruce told her, and she made a note in the little blue notebook she’d pulled from her purse, “Get the cauldrons, and I’ll meet you at Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment.”</p>
<p>            “I need to pick up the wands,” Helena told him.</p>
<p>            “Want me to do it?” Bruce offered.</p>
<p>            “I still need to get mine,” Helena shrugged, “I’ll get the cauldrons on the way to Olivander’s. Then meet you at Wiseacre’s.” she suggested, “Spend some time here, look around, they’ve got art sets over there.”</p>
<p>            “Didn’t you bring your drawing pens?” Bruce asked, as Percival reappeared with a box of inks.</p>
<p>            “I did but I thought that Damian might want to join me in the occasional weekend art elective, and I don’t share well when I’m working,” Helena told him, before leaving.</p>
<p>            “Art supplies?” Bruce asked, and Percival pointed him to a corner of the store, he grabbed a basket as he went.</p>
<p>            “Artists?” Percival asked when Bruce put a hand full of different pen packages on the counter.</p>
<p>            “Yes, I’d also like two of the complete quill and ink art sets,” Bruce nodded to a display.</p>
<p>            “Full ones?” Percival checked.</p>
<p>            “With cases, one should be H. Wayne and the other D. Wayne,” Bruce confirmed.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>            “Helena, it’s been an age,” Olivander greeted, not looking up from his book as she came into the crowded shop.</p>
<p>            “Olivander,” she nodded to him, “I hope my order wasn’t too challenging.”</p>
<p>            “I got some help, so it wasn’t that bad,” Olivander told her, putting his book down and getting up to take a stone carved box off a shelf, “Bone, Night Phoenix feather and your birth father’s blood.” He opened it.</p>
<p>            “Perfect,” Helena smiled taking the wand from the box and twirling it between nimble fingers.</p>
<p>            “Don’t break it, that bone was especially hard to carve,” Olivander told her.</p>
<p>            “I’ll guard it with my life,” Helena assured.</p>
<p>            “You’ve been to your vault, right?” Olivander asked, putting wand boxes in a paper bag.</p>
<p>            “And I’ve extracted the box,” Helena told him pulling out a pouch of coins.</p>
<p>            “If you find it, I’d love to have a look,” Olivander told her, as she carefully stacked four piles of seven Galleons.</p>
<p>            “You will, it might not be in the vault, but I will find it,” she told him placing ten Galleons on the counter by her neat stacks of seven.</p>
<p>            “Well, do be quick about it, I am an old man after all,” Olivander told her, as she placed the wand back in the stone case and the case on top of the others in the bag.</p>
<p>            Helena scoffed, “I played peek-a-boo with your father, <em>old man</em>.”</p>
<p>            “I always forget about that vacation you took during the early 20<sup>th</sup> century,” Olivander mused, “Tell me really, how old are you?”</p>
<p>            “You know better than to ask a lady her age,” Helena smiled, “Besides, it depends entirely on how you count.”</p>
<p>            “I’ll get you to tell me eventually,” Olivander told her.</p>
<p>            “I can’t tell you what I don’t know,” she laughed waving over her shoulder as she left.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>            “We’ll need to pick up our items from the parchment place after 1:00,” Bruce reported, and she dutifully made a note in her book.</p>
<p>            “I’ve got the wands,” she told him, holding up the bag and smiling to him.</p>
<p>            “I think I’ve got it all,” Bruce told her holding up the basket he’d been carrying.</p>
<p>            “I’ll just sort it out onto labeling trays, and we can go for books,” Helena told him.</p>
<p>            “There’s one more place I’d like to go before getting books,” Bruce told her as she put five of the silver trays on the table next to him, pulling a pen from her pocket.</p>
<p>            “If it’s the jeweler our appointments not till 2:00,” Helena reminded, writing on the first card: <strong>Damian A. Wayne – DW </strong></p>
<p>            She poked through the basket, “Star chart, crystal phial set with case, and magnifying set with case. That’ll be the same for all the trays.”  </p>
<p>            She took the next card and wrote: <strong>Tim D. Wayne – TD</strong></p>
<p>            “Abacus and a Rune set with case,” Helena smiled, passing it to Bruce who added the other three items.</p>
<p>            On the next card Helena wrote: <strong>Jason T. Wayne – JT</strong></p>
<p>            “Crystal ball with case, and a set of divining cards,” Helena passed the tray to Bruce who added three items he was supposed to.</p>
<p>            The fourth card read: <strong>Richard G. Wayne – DG </strong></p>
<p>“Crystal ball with case, a set of divining cards, and a Rune set with case,” Helena passed it to her father.</p>
<p>            The final card read: <strong>Helena S. Wayne – HW </strong></p>
<p>“Crystal ball with case, a set of divining cards, a Rune set with case, moon model and an abacus,” Helena held the tray up for Bruce, “Plus the last star chart, magnifying set with case and crystal phial set. Two?” she asked.</p>
<p>            “Potions and Alchemy – thought you could use extras,” Bruce explained.</p>
<p>            “Smart,” Helena nodded, taking the first two trays to the cashier counter, while her father took the next two and she collected the final one.</p>
<p>            “You finish up here, I’ve got to make a quick stop, but I’ll meet you at Flurish and Blots,” Bruce told her, checking his watch.</p>
<p>            “Okay, Dad,” Helena smiled after him.</p>
<p>            He’d seen the store earlier so he knew where it was, the Magical Menagerie, the bell on the door chimed pleasantly as he entered.</p>
<p>            “Welcome,” a man greeted from behind the counter, “Can I help you find something?”</p>
<p>            “I’m just here to pick up an order,” Bruce told him, “Under the name Zatara.”</p>
<p>“Ah, that order,” the man nodded, turning to poke around the shelves behind the counter, “It wasn’t easy you know, but we got it.” He placed a carrying basket with a rounded stiff mesh lid. There was a cushion on the bottom and from between the folds of a red fleece blanket a little head peeked out.</p>
<p>“A Black-Footed Ferret, he’s just a little shy, he’s wearing his collar and his harness and his leash is tucked in under the blanket.” the man told him, “Now the order included a cage and other supplies to be delivered to a hotel, I’ve got it written down around here somewhere.”</p>
<p>“The Grand, London,” Bruce told him.</p>
<p>“Yeah that’s what it says,” the man confirmed looking at the note he’d pulled from a stack of papers, “It went out this morning, ought to be there by now. But we only do in person sales of the animal. Ah don’t worry about paying Zatara already settled the bill.” He added, although Bruce already knew that, he’d written a check that Zatara had gotten converted from dollars into Galleons to buy the animal ahead of time.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Bruce smiled taking the basket in one hand.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Curious Case of Helena S Wayne</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Helena meets some wizards and visits an old friend for dubious reasons.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            “You took forever,” Helena mused, two baskets full of books on the floor next to the armchair she was waiting in, “I needed more hands.” She added, “Still got some of the elective books to go.”</p><p>            “I’ll wait with your books,” Bruce told her.</p><p>            “What’s in the basket?” Helena asked, getting up so Bruce could take her armchair.</p><p>            “Get your books I’ll show you later,” he told her, pulling out his phone and texting Alfred for an update on the brothers.</p><p>            <em>How’s everything at the match? – B</em></p><p>
  <em>            A ‘bludger’ nearly knocked Jason’s teeth out, so according to him ‘best game ever!’ – A </em>
</p><p>
  <em>            They’re all alive and unharmed for the moment though. – A </em>
</p><p>Bruce chuckled.</p><p>            <em>Try to bring them all back, I don’t think the tuition’s refundable and I’ve paid for five educations. – B </em></p><p>
  <em>            Have you picked it up yet? – A </em>
</p><p>
  <em>            Yes. – B</em>
</p><p>“Wha’s that?” a teenage boy, probably around Jason’s age, asked nodding to Bruce’s phone.</p><p>            “Fred don’t be rude,” an older woman with the same fire-y read hair as the teen – probably her son, chided.</p><p>            “My cell phone,” Bruce told him.</p><p>            “That a muggle thing?” Fred, according to his mother, asked.</p><p>            “Fred!” his mother snapped, “I’m Molly Weasley and I am very sorry about my son. Fred, apologize.”</p><p>            “I’m Bruce Wayne and if my son was here, I have no doubt I’d be the one apologizing to you,” Bruce told her, standing up and placing the basket on the seat of the arm chair, and shaking hands with Molly.</p><p>            “You American?” Fred asked, then his eyes flicked to his mother and he added, “Mr. Wayne, sir.”</p><p>            “Yes,” Bruce told him.</p><p>            “Like that stunning ace down there?” Fred asked nodding down to the first floor where they were able to see many of the shoppers walking around.</p><p>            “Excuse me?” Bruce asked.</p><p>            “Her,” Fred pointed to Helena, who was reading the back of a book in the aisle directly below them, another boy – clearly Fred’s identical twin was standing next to her talking.</p><p>            “That would be my daughter, Helena,” Bruce told him.</p><p>            “Cool,” Fred nodded before turning on his heal and promptly walking away.</p><p>            “What’s an ace?” Bruce asked turning to Molly and leaning against the balcony railing.</p><p>            “I’d be guessing from context,” Molly told him, with a friendly smile, “But based on all the different times I’ve heard my children use it I’d have to say it either means something excellent or a beautiful woman.”</p><p>            “Our dog’s named Ace, and he’s fairly excellent,” Bruce mused.</p><p>            “You new to Hogwarts?” Molly asked, “I’ve got a fourth year, a fifth year and those two seventh years and I haven’t heard a peep about American students.”</p><p>            “Brand new this year, transfers,” Bruce told her.</p><p>            “I think someone’s trying to escape,” Molly nodded to where the ferret had shoved the blanket out of the way and was looking through the rounded top of the basket cage.</p><p>            “I doubt he’ll be able to gnaw his way through the top,” Bruce told her.</p><p>            “Brand new?” Molly guessed.</p><p>            “A present for my daughter, her birthday’s next week and it’s going to be the first one I’ve ever missed,” Bruce told her.</p><p>            “She didn’t do boarding school in the states?” Molly asked.</p><p>            “Boarding school was an hour and a half from home, I got them back virtually every weekend,” Bruce explained (lied, sort of Gotham Academy did have boarding options and was more like 20 minutes from the manor so his kids had always lived at home – easier to sneak out for some late night crime fighting when you sleep just a few floors above the Batcave).</p><p>            “Besides I could always drive over and spring them for an evening out,” Bruce added.</p><p>            “You’re first time with an empty nest,” Molly observed, “How many?”</p><p>            “Five, Helena and her four younger brothers,” Bruce told her.</p><p>            “I’ve got seven, Ginny and her six older brothers,” Molly told him, “It nearly broke my heart when Ginny left for her first year.”</p><p>            “Got em,” Fred announced returning with a small stack of books.</p><p>            “I’ll probably be seeing you tomorrow Mr. Wayne,” Molly said with a smile and a wave as she followed Fred down towards the cashier.</p><p>*</p><p>            “So, you’re taking Divination, Ancient Runes and Advanced Arithmancy,” George mused, looking into the dark-haired girl’s basket.</p><p>            She turned to look him over with piercingly blue eyes. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, but the soft curls were long enough to brush her shoulders when she moved. She was wearing a blue and white striped blouse, short sleeved with a ruffled collar and a pair of jean shorts with a pair of one and a half inch black pumps that had a little black tulle flower at the ankle. She was probably pale, but the summer sun had given her a golden tan, she had a black leather purse over her shoulder and a petite watch on her left wrist.</p><p>            “Helena Wayne,” she introduced herself offering him a hand with a blue stone ring.</p><p>            “George Weasley,” he told her, shaking, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”</p><p>            “My brother’s taking divination,” she told him turning back to the shelf, “But you are two for three.” She added, apparently enjoying the game.</p><p>            “Okay, just the runes and the arithmancy,” George nodded, “So, you’re one smart cookie. And you’ve got a brother. May I?” he asked offering to take the basket, which she allowed and he poked through the other books, “<em>Hogwarts a History,</em> I’m guessing new student but your clearly too old and too competent to be a first year.”</p><p>            “Transfer student,” she told him.</p><p>            “<em>Quidditch Through the Ages</em>, tell me this is yours,” George smiled, pulling the book out.</p><p>            “My brother’s,” Helena shrugged, pulling a pair of books off a shelf and adding them to the basket, “I’ve already read it. Twice.”</p><p>            “Do you know what house you’re in?” George asked.</p><p>            “Not yet, apparently I’ll be sorted with the first years,” Helena told him, reaching for a book on the top shelf.</p><p>            “Let me,” George told her, taking the book down, “Alchemy?” he asked rather impressed, it was supposedly one of the hardest classes to get into at Hogwarts.</p><p>            “That one’s mine,” Helena told him.</p><p>            “So, a brilliant transfer student who knows quidditch and has a brother,” George mused, “What house will you go to?”</p><p>            “Four,” she told him taking three copies of <em>Spellman’s Syllabary</em> from a shelf.</p><p>            “Excuse me?”</p><p>            “I have four brothers,” she clarified.</p><p>            “I’ve got five,” George told her, “You’re definitely smart enough for Ravenclaw, and almost anyone can get into Hufflepuff. I’m assuming you don’t kill innocent puppies?”</p><p>            “I’m an active member of the US Humane Society, on Saturdays I vaccinate stray dogs and help get them to their forever homes,” Helena told him.</p><p>            “You’re a very good person, and you’re willing to work for the things you believe in, that’s a very Hufflepuff thing to do,” George mused, “But what about Gryffindor?”</p><p>            “Home of the daring, chivalrous students who are loyal and brave?” Helena asked, “You must be a Gryffindor.”</p><p>            “Brave hearted, that’s us, how brave are you is the question though,” George nodded, “Play any quidditch?”</p><p>            “Not competitively,” Helena told him.</p><p>            “Sports?”</p><p>            “Not everyone calls them sports, but I fence, dance and am on the Cheerleading team at school,” Helena told him, “I’m also a fairly accomplished gymnast.”</p><p>            George considered for a moment.</p><p>            “I’m also an avid rock climber, and I’m a competitive rider,” she added, when he looked confused she continued, “You train and ride a horse through obstacle courses at high speeds and the judges score you on how well and how fast you completed the course.”</p><p>            “That sounds dangerous,” George observed.</p><p>            “Only if you fall off.”</p><p>            “You could be a Gryffindor,” he decided, “I hope you’re in Gryffindor.” He added, “I’m guessing either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor.”</p><p>            “Aren’t there four houses?” Helena asked, pulling four copies of <em>The Monster Book of Monsters – unabridged, domesticated edition </em>off the shelf.</p><p>            “You’re too nice to be in Slytherin,” George assured her.</p><p>            “But I do get my ambition from my father,” Helena pointed out.</p><p>            “You’re father?”</p><p>            “Bruce Wayne,” she nodded to where the man was leaning against the railing of the second-floor balcony, “Google him sometime.”</p><p>            “George! We’ve paid!” Fred called waving him over towards the door.</p><p>            George told Helena, “I guess I’ll be seeing you at school.”</p><p>            “Here,” Helena told him pulling her wallet from her purse and handing him a rectangular bit of stiff paper, “My card, it’s got all my contact information.”</p><p>            “Thanks,” George smiled, but a frustrated Fred was grabbing his arm and hauling him out the door.</p><p>            “She gave me her ‘card’,” George told his brother holding it out, “Said it’ll tell me how to contact her.”</p><p>            “What’s ‘em-ale’?” Fred asked, and George shook his head as they apparated back to Grimould place.</p><p>            “Ask Hermione,” Fred said decisively and the two burst into a run towards the dinning room.</p><p>            “’Mione!” George and Fred called in unison bursting into the dinning room and scooting Harry and Ron out of the way to sit on either side of the brown-haired girl.</p><p>            “A girl at Flurish and Blot’s gave me her card, what does it mean?” George asked.</p><p>            Hermione swallowed her mouthful of sandwich, “She wants to stay in touch?” she guessed.</p><p>            “Yes, but how do we use this… thing to contact her?” Fred asked, snatching the card from George and presenting it to Hermione, who put her sandwich on her plate.</p><p>            “This is just her card, it’s just the information, her name and ways to contact her. You don’t actually contact her with the card.” Hermione told them, “Here those are the methods to contact her.” She pointed to a section of neat black lettering printed on the cream business card.</p><p>            “What is a ‘cell’? And what is an ‘em-ale’?” George asked, reclaiming the card and examining the lettering.</p><p>            “Cell is short for cell phone, which is a small portable phone one can carry with them,” Harry piped up from behind Fred.</p><p>            “That man, her father,” Fred snapped his fingers, “he had one, it was like a black block and one side glowed.”</p><p>            “Probably his smart phone,” Hermione told him.</p><p>            “’e said it was a cell phone,” Fred remembered.</p><p>            “A smart phone is a type of cell phone,” Harry added, rather enjoying being able to answer some of the Muggle World questions – the ones from Arthur were often a little beyond the scope of his understanding.</p><p>            “He wasn’t talkin to it though, he was sorta tappin it, like this,” Fred held out a hand palm flat and moved his thumb around making tapping motions.</p><p>            “Cell phones can send written messages to each other,” Hermione told him, “You type the words into your cell, and they are sent to another cell so the other person can read it. Its fast communication at a distance.”</p><p>            “One of the types of written message is e-mail,” Harry added, “A message sent from one email address to another. So that bit will be her email address.” He nodded to the bottom of the card.</p><p>            “How does an owl get to Helen-aW?” George asked trying to sound out the first part of an address.</p><p>            “It’s a virtual address, not a real one,” Hermione told him, and then rubbed her head as she tried to figure out how to explain this.</p><p>            “Think of it like a homing beacon,” Harry suggested.</p><p>            “It’s not in a set physical location but it travels with her,” Hermione nodded, “Good point Harry.”</p><p>            “May I?” Harry asked taking the card, “So she’s ‘Helena-W-at’ that little symbol with the a in a circle means at.” He explained, “’Wayne-Enterprises’. That sounds familiar.” He added with a furrowed brow, trying to remember the bits of a news report he’d overheard from the tv while he’d been having breakfast.</p><p>            “It should, Wayne Enterprises it’s the parent company of Wayne Tech and Wayne Pharmacology. The primary contributor to the Martha and Thomas Wayne Foundation.” Hermione explained.</p><p>            “They’re building that brand-new Cancer Research Center and Hospital in Manchester, aren’t they? The something-Drake Hospital.” Harry mused.</p><p>            “The Janet Drake Memorial Hospital and Cancer Research Center?” Hermione offered.</p><p>            “That is not going to fit on the letterhead,” Bill mused with a chuckle.</p><p>            “Guess she’s got an internship or something, they issued her a company email address,” Hermione shrugged.</p><p>            “Her Dad introduced himself as Bruce Wayne,” Fred offered.</p><p>            “Yeah, she said something about ambition and ‘oogling’ Bruce Wayne,” George added, “We were talking about the different houses.” He added with a shrug.</p><p>            “She probably said Google, it’s a way to look up information,” Harry explained.</p><p>            “Wait, you mean that this Helena you met is Helena S. Wayne?” Hermione asked an eyebrow raised.</p><p>            “You know her?” Bill asked, apparently deciding that this conversation was interesting enough to start participating in.</p><p>            “Of her,” Hermione told him, suddenly looking a little sheepish, “I was stuck in the airport on my way home from Germany this summer and someone had abandoned a magazine in the terminal – a bit of a tabloid – and it had a featured article about the Wayne’s.”</p><p>            “Really?” Harry asked, his aunt got pretty much all the tabloids delivered to the house and he didn’t remember seeing anything about the Wayne’s when he raided the recycling bin for something to waste his time with.</p><p>            “Yeah,” Hermione closed her eyes remembering the title of the piece, “<strong>A Look Behind the Gate: The House and Home of Elusive Billionaire CEO Bruce Wayne</strong>.” She recited. </p><p>“Billionaire?” Ron asked, “Like with a B?” he added.</p><p>            “<strong>The Billionaire Orphans: From Parentless to Heirs</strong>,” Harry remembered, it been a headline in a magazine that Petunia had been loudly admiring the clothing in, “Petunia was admiring the photographs.” He added.</p><p>            “Orphans?” Molly asked, having just come up from the kitchen with a fresh platter of sandwiches and looking concerned, “Isn’t Bruce their father?”</p><p>            Hermione resisted the urge to sigh, Bruce Wayne’s story it was one of those things that if you lived in the real world you knew – like Angelina Jolie was an actress, or Steve Jobs founded Apple – it was part of his biography any time Wayne Enterprises was mentioned on the news: ‘CEO Bruce Wayne founder the Martha and Thomas Wayne foundation, a charitable organization named after his late parents…’ or even the Janet Drake Memorial Hospital which was going to be the most advanced cancer research center in the world: ‘Bruce Wayne has named the new Manchester based research center after his adopted son Timothy Drake’s mother who sadly passed away from  Brain Cancer just a few short years after her son’s birth’.</p><p>            “Well, Bruce Wayne’s parents, Martha and Thomas Wayne, were killed in an attempted mugging when he was about 10, I think, and his sons are all adopted,” Hermione told them, “Last February he was in TIME Magazine talking about his international children’s charity, and he talked about his own kids in the interview.”</p><p>            “The Penny-something Children’s Fund, right?” Harry asked, it’d been in the news that summer with employees of the fund being called as experts to discuss the ongoing refugee crisis.</p><p>            “Yeah, he named it after his guardian when he was a kid,” Hermione nodded, “I’m pretty sure the kids are Richard, Timothy, Jason and Damian, and of course the daughter Helena.”</p><p>            “You said orphans, plural,” Bill remined a little hesitantly.</p><p>            “Yeah, Richard, Timothy and Jason are all adopted. Damian’s mother and Helena’s mothers are both dead,” Hermione reported.</p><p>            “No wonder he was so sad,” Molly mused sitting down at the table next to Bill and rubbing her son’s back, “He’s going home to a completely empty house.”</p><p>*</p><p>            “That’s a lot of textbooks,” Bruce observed, Helena had flagged down a salesclerk and together they’d stacked all the books into about 10 different piles a little to the left of the cashier station. The clerk nodded to them and went into the back for a moment.</p><p>            “96 to be precise,” Helena told him, looking up from her cellphone where she’d typed up the list of items they needed, “Did you hear back about whether I got into divination or not?” she asked.</p><p>            “You did,” Bruce told her.</p><p>            “Then its 99,” Helena shrugged, going over to a display with a sign that read ‘READING THE FUTURE’ and returning with 3 more books.</p><p>            “By my count that 105 books,” Bruce told her, eyeing the stacks carefully.</p><p>            “99 textbooks and 6 other books,” Helena told him.</p><p>            “And that stack of thin paperbacks?” Bruce asked.</p><p>            “41 workbooks,” Helena told him.</p><p>            “So, we’re talking about 146 books in total?” Bruce checked, “How are you going to fit those in your luggage?” he added.</p><p>            “Workbooks count as like half a book, max,” Helena told him.</p><p>            “Run through your math?” Bruce asked her.</p><p>            “There are seven core classes each with their own textbook and a reference book used in two classes, so without even talking about electives that’s 40 books,” Helena began.</p><p>            “59 books,” Bruce nodded.</p><p>            “Both Tim and Damian have two assigned books for Defense and starting in the third year there’s a second Herbology textbook. There is also an extra required first year class with a textbook. So, taking into account required classes that’s another 7 books,” Helena continued.</p><p>            “52,” Bruce nodded.</p><p>            “There is an optional second potions textbook, it’s not required until sixth year cause it isn’t regularly used and when it is necessary for homework they’ve got extra copies in the library, three fifth years means 3 books.” Helena went on.</p><p>            “49.”</p><p>            “Starting in third year two electives are required all four of us are signed up for Care of Magical Creatures which has one required text for all years and one additional text in the fifth year. Three out of four are taking Divination which has one required text for all years and two additional texts in the fifth year. That’s another 13 books accounted for.”</p><p>            “36.”</p><p>            “Three out of four are taking Ancient Runes, which has 3 required books at all levels, a different translation book at each year, and a fourth required book in fifth year. 16 books are needed for that single elective.”</p><p>            “20.”</p><p>            “Two are in Arithmancy, which has 2 required books and 1 advanced book. Two are in Ghoul Studies which has 2 required books. 9 more books.”</p><p>            “11.”</p><p>            “One out of four is in Ancient Studies, which is a primarily reading course and has 9 books in it. One out of four is in Alchemy which has 3 required books in it.” Helena finished.</p><p>            “That’s negative one books,” Bruce told her, “I can’t believe I’m saying this considering the size of that tower, but I think your missing two books.”</p><p>            “I’m getting two of my books at a different store,” Helena explained.</p><p>            “Alright,” Bruce said turning as the clerk returned, “How much for the 146 books and whatever is in that box that I’m assuming they need?”</p><p>            “We do,” Helena told him taking the box and putting it on the ground next to her, and then took the two other empty boxes from the man and put them on the ground. Starting to quickly and neatly pack up the books while Bruce paid, 65 books in one box the other 40 in the other with the stack of work books – physically it didn’t work but with magic making them larger inside than outside Helena closed them both easily and tied them with string.</p><p>            “You going to be able to carry one by yourself?” Bruce asked, eyeing the two square packing boxes.</p><p>            “They’re charmed boxes,” she told him, “Larger on the inside and everything weighs 90% less. Each box is about 18 pounds. So, what’s in the basket?”</p><p>            “We’ll put these in the car, and they you get to find out,” Bruce told her, taking one of the boxes in one hand and the basket in the other, Helena grabbed one of the book boxes and the third smaller box and followed him back out through the Leaky Caldron.</p><p>            “Open the trunk?” Helena asked, nodding to one of the two matching rented black SUVs that Alfred had arranged for the trip.</p><p>            “Car’s unlocked, just wave your foot under the bumper to activate the auto open,” Bruce reminded, hitting the unlock button on the car keys.</p><p>            “Right,” Helena nodded skeptically sticking out her foot, and the door opened instantly for her, “Yeah we need one of these at home.” She added.</p><p>            “Do you have any idea how much gas this thing takes?” Bruce asked, as she stepped to the side and put the final box in the back.</p><p>            “I’m going to put the back row down, we’re going to need the space for the rest of the purchases,” Helena added, opening the side back seat and moving between the two seats in the second row to pull the lever on the third row, “But is it worse than having to take two cars to school and one to work every morning?” Helena asked. Pushing the book boxes to the side and crawling out via the trunk.</p><p>            “Your Subaru averages 30 miles per gallon you use like 2 gallons in as many days, and Dick and I both drive electric,” Bruce reminded.</p><p>            “You make a good point,” Helena shrugged, “Basket?” she asked.</p><p>            “You go on ahead, I’ll be there in a moment,” Bruce told her.</p><p>            “I still need to pop into another bookstore,” Helena reminded.</p><p>            “Meet me for ice cream cones at Florian’s,” Bruce nodded.</p><p>            “Don’t forget we have the jeweler at 2, and we still have one more shop to go to,” Helena reminded, pulling her backpack out from where it’d been tucked under the dash by the passenger seat. She easily unclipped the shoulder strap of her purse left that in the car and continued holding the purse as though it was a large clutch, little leather backpack over one shoulder.</p><p>            Bruce pressed the trunk button to close the hatchback, and then opened the side door putting the basket on a seat and carefully pulling the ferret and it’s leash out.</p><p>*</p><p>            “Hello Bard,” Helena greeted rather loudly, letting the old door slam shut behind her. The little shop sat right on the edge between Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley and tended to toe the line of legality.</p><p>            “Sly,” the scruffy young man, maybe 23 or 25 years old looked up from where he was sprawled across an armchair, combat style boots on an end table with a fat book in his hands. His grey t-shirt was ripped in places and under an unbuttoned flannel shirt with jeans so well worn they were barely a hair shy tattered.</p><p>            “Can’t you read?” Bard scoffed putting a leather bookmark in his spot and balancing it precariously on top of a stack of about 11 other books.</p><p>            “In about eight languages,” Helena shrugged.</p><p>            “And none of those are English?” Bard mocked.</p><p>            “If you were really closed the door wouldn’t be unlocked and you wouldn’t have been expecting me,” Helena reminded, locking the shop door behind her.</p><p>            “Oh Sly, I never expect you,” Bard smiled.</p><p>            “Clever boy,” Helena chuckled walking along the length of a bookshelf with volumes so old the leather was cracking, “Did you get what I asked for?”</p><p>            “Did you bring what I asked for?” Bard crossed his arms, Helena pursed her lips, putting her purse on the counter and then opening up her backpack.</p><p>            “Catch,” she threw a little velvet pouch at his face, which he caught easily.</p><p>            Bard took a moment to weigh it in one hand, head tilted as he considered, and then opened pulling one of the diamonds out and holding it to the light as he considered it.</p><p>            “This is only half what you owe me,” he pointed out, dropping the diamond back into the pouch and cinching it closed again.</p><p>            “Not until I see my items,” Helena told him.</p><p>            “Don’t you trust me?” Bard asked getting up, he was lanky, looked a little like he’d been stretched out, he dropped the bag of diamonds into the empty teacup on the counter.</p><p>            “I <strong>know</strong> you,” Helena chuckled.</p><p>            “Words can hurt,” he observed kneeling down behind the counter to pull up a couple of floorboards and pulling a pair of shoe boxes out from the hole underneath, “They’re illegal and very rare.” He told her pulling a smaller wood box from the first shoe box and putting on the counter for her.</p><p>            “I didn’t get them from you,” Helena promised, “But if I did, I’d have been very impressed with your skills.”</p><p>            “I only did this cause I’ve got a soft spot for you,” Bard told her, unlatching the box and lifting the lid, “That look about right to you?”</p><p>            “Cursed scarabs, that’s them,” Helena nodded.</p><p>            “Don’t touch, they’re pretty nasty,” Bard told her.</p><p>            “I’m not an idiot,” Helena reminded.</p><p>            “This was not pleasant to get,” Bard added taking out a ring box and a larger velvet necklace box.</p><p>            “I know you worked hard, it’s all very rare, some of its dangerous and a couple items are even illegal,” Helena sighed.</p><p>            Bard pulled up his t-shirt to show the blackened burn along the left side of his abdomen, an eyebrow raised, “You sure you know? My kidney is dead.”</p><p>            Helena winced sympathetically, “Well you only need one.” She shrugged.</p><p>            “Last time I do you a favor,” he grumbled, glaring a little, “Two of them are at the school, I couldn’t go there, but I got the other three.”</p><p>            “Is it safe?” Helena asked picking up the ring box.</p><p>            “It is now,” he told her, “I neutralized all of them. The work was sloppy.”</p><p>            “You’re just a perfectionist,” Helena told him.</p><p>            “The rest is pretty much just antiques, and I got the books you asked for in here,” Bard finished off.</p><p>            “Here, this’ll fix the kidney,” Helena told him pulling a little vial of golden liquid from her backpack.</p><p>            “I knew you cared,” Bard chuckled, uncorking the vial and tossing it back, she pulled the books from their box and put two into her backpack.</p><p>            “Oh, that feels good,” Bard sighed letting is head fall back and taking a deep breath.</p><p>            “Hey, hey, hey,” Bard dropped a hand over Helena’s when she reached for the wood box with the scarabs, “Where’s my payment?”</p><p>            “Straight from the tree,” Helena told him pulling a fat pomegranate from her bag and placing it on the counter.</p><p>            “Thank you,” he smiled, picking it up and breaking the fruit in half with his hands, and then into fourths. Helena put the scarab box back into the first shoebox and squeezed the shoebox into her backpack with the books.</p><p>            “You need a napkin?” she asked looking up to Bard who had already eaten one of the fourths down to the rind like it was a slice of watermelon.</p><p>            He hesitated for a moment slowly swallowing and putting the second rind down on the table, “I’m starving.” He defended himself, wiping some of the red juice from his chin with one hand.</p><p>            She laughed, grinning at him, and moving to take the two jewelry boxes still on the table, but he waved her hand away.</p><p>            “You’ve got your diamonds and your fruit,” she reminded, he put the third rind down and opened the ring box.</p><p>            “I’m not positive what you’re up to, but I’d appreciate it if you kept yourself alive,” Barb told her, sliding the ring onto her right hand and then opening the other box, “You’re demanding, annoying, and at times infuriating, but I’ve gotten used to you over the centuries and it’d be a pain to have to make a new friend.” He carefully clasped the locket around her neck.</p><p>            “There she is,” Bard put a finger under her chin and tilted her head, “Just as your grandfather would have wanted. Speaking of which, Happy Birthday Sly.” He pressed a sheath containing a silver dagger into her hand.</p><p>            “Thank you, Bard,” she smiled giving him a hug.</p><p>            “Do me a favor, take care of this for me,” he added pressing a bracelet into her hand, she held it up and looked it over.</p><p>            “Got any nasty surprises?” she asked.</p><p>            “I’m a professional,” Bard scoffed, and she slid it onto her wrist, “Did you want some?” he added holding up the last chunk of pomegranate.</p><p>            “I’m meeting my Dad for ice cream,” Helena told him.</p><p>            “Ice cream?” he asked an eyebrow raised.</p><p>            “Would you like to join us?” she asked him.</p><p>            “I would love to.”</p><p>            “You have to behave,” she told him, swinging her backpack over her should and picking up the two books.</p><p>            “I always behave,” Bard told her, finishing his last mouthful of pomegranate, and sliding the diamonds into his pocket.</p><p>            “I’d believe you more if your mouth wasn’t full.”</p><p>            “Come on,” Bard chuckled, grabbing a paper shopping bag from a hook and putting the two jewelry boxes in it, and then taking the two books she had in her hands, adding a few things off the shelves as they headed for the door.</p><p>            “My book,” Bard remembered, snapping his fingers and going back over to grab the book he’d been reading.</p><p>            “De Occulta Philosophia a Tenebris Magicae,” Helena read from the cover holding the door open, “Secrets of the Darkest Magic.” She translated.</p><p>            “I guess Latin is a language you do read.” He tapped the door twice and the locks clicked closed.</p><p>*</p><p>            <em>How’s the shopping going? – A </em></p><p>
  <em>            Well, we’ve got 146 books in the car and we’ve been to all the shops, just need to go pick the items up when they’re ready. – B</em>
</p><p>
  <em>            How’s the match going? – B</em>
</p><p>
  <em>            Were you aware that the match has no set end time? They just keep playing until someone catches a little golden ball. – A</em>
</p><p>
  <em>            I was not. – B</em>
</p><p>“Hi, Dad,” Helena smiled sitting down at the red table next to him, “How’re the boys?” she asked.</p><p>            “They seem to be alright,” Bruce told her, looking to the young man who sat down next to his daughter at the table.</p><p>            “Bard this is my Dad, Bruce,” Helena introduced, “Dad this is my friend Bard.”</p><p>            “It’s nice to meet you,” Bard said politely shaking Bruce’s hand, “Sly and I go way back.”</p><p>            “It’s a pleasure,” Bruce told him, “I rarely get to meet Helena’s friends.”</p><p>            “That’s probably because most of them are long dead,” Bard shrugged, as a waiter put two small bowls of vanilla ice cream on the table.</p><p>            Bruce looked him up and down, starting on his ice cream.</p><p>            “About nine hundred and eighty years, give or take,” Bard told him, “That’s how long ago I met Sly.” He clarified.</p><p>            “He’s kind of obnoxious but what can you do, childhood friends and all,” Helena teased, carefully licking her spoon.</p><p>            Bard chuckled, “I feel the same about her.”</p><p>            He checked his watch, “I’ve got a thing.” He said, standing up and putting a silver compass on the table, “You know how to find me.” He smiled, leaning over to kiss Helena’s forehead.</p><p>            “It was nice meeting you,” he added nodding to Bruce and turning to go.</p><p>            “My contact,” Helena nodded after him, “If there’s anything shady going on he knows about it.”</p><p>            “You going to introduce me to your friend?” she asked after a moment, licking her spoon, “I’m guessing he was in the basket.”</p><p>            “Your birthday present,” Bruce told her looking down as the ferret putted itself fully onto the table from his lap, “He’s a black footed ferret.”</p><p>            “He’s adorable,” Helena countered, holding out a hand so the creature could crawl up her arm to her shoulder.</p><p>            “His leash,” Bruce added passing her the end of the blue tether.</p><p>            “Thank you, dad,” Helena smiled, rubbing the ferret’s chin, “It’s nice to meet you Edger.” She added, reading the name embroidered into his collar.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Quidditch and Covers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A final afternoon in London is enjoyed by all...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Quality Quidditch Supply,” Helena announced, “If you want broomsticks it doesn’t get that much better that this. You sure you wanna put them on broomsticks?” the ferret on her shoulder made a chuffing sound reminiscent of laughter.</p><p>            “You’re the one whose introduced them to Quidditch,” Bruce pointed out, holding the door open for her.</p><p>            “The Firebolt, released two years ago, but still the best,” Helena told him nodding to the broom on display in the window.</p><p>            “You know your brooms,” a young man observed smiling to her, “Easily the fastest broom on the market these days, highly maneuverable, and very reliable. Recommended for practiced fliers, and in my personal opinion not the ideal broom for a keeper, but that’s just me.”</p><p>            “I’m assuming your objection has to do with the speed drift?” Helena asked.</p><p>            “The precision turning is wonderful you can roll and do hairpins, amazing for dodging bludgers, but it takes a lot of training to be able to maneuver such a powerful broom in that type of short little exact movements expected of a keeper,” he nodded, “You play?”</p><p>            “Not formally,” Helena told him.</p><p>            “What position?” he asked.</p><p>            “Seeker,” she told him.</p><p>            “I’m more of a Chaser myself,” he nodded, “How long have you been flying?”</p><p>            “Since I was a little girl,” Helena replied.</p><p>            “I’d put you on a Firebolt in a heartbeat,” he smiled.</p><p>            “This ones the Nimbus 2000,” Helena nodded to another broom, “Not the speed but the same reliability as the Firebolt.”</p><p>            “Given the slower speed this one’s more manageable for those with less experience, and I’d personally put a keeper on this one,” he said with smile.</p><p>            “Well that’s the Firebolt and the Nimbus, what do you think Dad?” Helena smiled turning to Bruce.</p><p>            “Five of the Nimbuses, your brothers don’t have your experience,” Bruce told her, “And a Firebolt for you, depending on how they’re doing, I’ll consider getting them Firebolts for Christmas.”</p><p>            “Wanna help pick out the cases?” the young man offered.</p><p>            “Dad, will you watch Edger?” Helena asked, and Bruce nodded, “Oh and get flying gloves, I’ll text you the sizes.”</p><p>            “We have some different colored cases, the Nimbus and the Firebolt fit in the same size,” the man explained as they headed towards a side area.</p><p>            “Helena Wayne,” she introduced herself.</p><p>            “Marcus White,” he shook her hand.</p><p>            “Could we get the names carved into the handles?” Helena asked, pulling her phone out and texting rapidly.</p><p>            “Yes, there’s a special space for that,” Marcus assured her, holding the door to storage open for her.</p><p>            “Alright five of the Nimbuses,” he took three down from a rack and passed them to her, before collecting two more.</p><p>            “Five Nimbuses,” an older man mused from where he was sitting at a workbench.</p><p>            “Yes, and she’s going to need them engraved,” Marcus told him, “I’ll go get that Firebolt we keep them way in the back.”</p><p>            Helena collected a pair of the black hard-shell cases. </p><p>            “How do you want these engraved?” the man asked her.</p><p>            “This first one, W-A-Y-N-E, but leave space for a first name to be added later,” she told him, “My youngest brother’s technically a first year, but there’s no rule about a fifth year having more than one broom.”</p><p>            The man smiled, clipping the broom into the braces on the table and pulled the magic letter stamps out of their case, he started with the E and along the smooth flat area on the handle.</p><p>            “You want to do the cases?” the man asked, noting how she leaned in closer to watch, “We do those with a quill.”</p><p>            “Really?” Helena asked, the man pressed the W into the broom and then carefully blew over the letters on the Nimbus.</p><p>            “Of course, here we have a couple of different colors, then you just write like with a normal quill and then letters will get etched into the side of the case in the color of your, choice,” he explained.</p><p>            “Blue and Silver please,” Helena smiled, and he put the two quills on the counter next to her.</p><p>            “How about this next broom?” he asked.</p><p>            “T-I-M, D-R-A-K-E,” Helena spelled out carefully, using the blue pen to write ‘Nimbus’ in a gentle swooping script at the bottom of the narrow end of the case, and then adding ‘Wayne’ in silver along the bottom of the fat end of the case. She opened the case.</p><p>            “Go ahead you can take it,” he told her nodding to the broom he’d already finished with, which she placed in the case, closed it and put it to the side. She did the same to the next case ‘Nimbus’ at the narrow end and ‘Tim D Wayne’ at the other.</p><p>            “Tim,” he told her passing her the second broom, and picking up the next on, she closed the case and put it on the ground while he placed the third Nimbus in the grips.</p><p>            “J-A-S-O-N, T-O-D-D,” she spelled out for him, writing ‘Nimbus’ in silver and then at the other end putting ‘Jason T Wayne’.</p><p>            He gently blew over the letters on the handle, and then passed it to her, “Jason.” She put it in its case and placed it on the ground.</p><p>            “D-I-C-K, G-R-A-Y-S-O-N,” Helena told him, putting ‘Nimbus’ at one end of a case and ‘Richard G Wayne’ at the other, carefully pausing to loop the ‘y’ the way she’d been doing on the others.</p><p>            “Dick, a nickname for Richard, right?” he asked handing her the broom, which she put in the case while he took the final Nimbus up.</p><p>            “H-E-L-E-N-A, W-A-Y-N-E,” Helena told him, working on the fifth case, ‘Helena S Wayne’, going across from ‘Nimbus’.</p><p>            “Firebolt,” Marcus reported placing the broom carefully next to the work bench, “Your father’s finished paying and is going to set up an account so you can order playing equipment like robes and gloves from school.”</p><p>            “Helena,” the older man handed her the fifth Nimbus, before taking up the Firebolt.</p><p>            “Thank you,” Helena smiled to Marcus who nodded and headed back towards the main store.</p><p>            “S-L-Y,” Helena spelled out, “Do you have a red?” she asked.</p><p>            “This one,” he handed her, on the final case she wrote ‘Firebolt’ where she’d put Nimbus on the others in the crimson ink and then ‘Helena S. Wayne’ in silver at the other end.</p><p>            “Sly,” he announced handing over the Firebolt.</p><p>            “Thank you,” Helena smiled, putting in its case.</p><p>            “If you’re interested they’ve got the Engraving Stamps and Etching Quills at Wiseacre’s,” he added as she stood up, swinging two of the cases over one shoulder and taking the other four by the straps in one arm.</p><p>            “I just might be,” Helena smiled to him, heading out to meet Bruce outside the shop, he was just putting his phone away.</p><p>            “Jeweler’s appointment’s in 40 minutes,” Bruce told her, “But we can start pick up on most of the items.”</p><p>            “Alright, how about you take the brooms to the car and I get the Caldrons, Telescopes and meet you at the Apothecary,” Helena told him.</p><p>            “I actually need to go back to Gringotts,” Bruce told her, fishing the keys from his pocket, “I’ll text you as soon as I’m done there.” He handed her the keys, the paper bag of gloves and the ferret.</p><p>            “I’ll grab the telescopes on my way to the car,” Helena offered with a nod, “You’re going to have to hold on tight Edger.” She added crossing the way to the telescope shop.</p><p>            “Hello,” Helena smile the bell on the door dinged, closing behind her, “I’m here to pick up an order, my father placed it earlier, five telescopes and a lunascope, under the name Wayne.”</p><p>            “Ah yes, this crate here,” Twinkle told her taking the slatted wood crate off the shelf behind her and placing it on the counter, “There’s a business card in there too in case you need anything else while your at school.”</p><p>            “Thank you,” Helena smiled, taking the crate in her arms and heading back through the Leaky Caldron to the car, “This is going to be really boring.” She warned Edger.</p><p>*</p><p>            “Get out of the driver’s seat,” Bruce instructed, leaning against the driver side door and smiling as Helena rolled the window down.</p><p>            “I’m licensed,” Helena protested, Edger was curled on her lap looking fairly smug.</p><p>            “Not in Europe,” Bruce reminded.</p><p>            “Oh, like you are,” she pouted, he opened his wallet.</p><p>            “For another two months I am.”</p><p>            She sighed picking herself up and crawling over the space between seats and settling down in the passenger’s seat.</p><p>            “You got it all in?” Bruce observed taking the drivers seat and looking over his shoulder at the boxes and crates neatly stacked in the back seat.</p><p>            “Yes, but I refuse to be the one to take it all out,” Helena told him leaning her seat back as he started driving.</p><p>            “I’m sure the bellhops can help with that,” Bruce told her, “And your brothers.”</p><p>            She nodded closing her eyes and absently scratching the ferrets chin.</p><p>            “You’ve ordered the luggage, right?” Bruce asked after a moment.</p><p>            “It’ll be delivered by five,” Helena assured him, fiddling with the golden locket she was wearing.</p><p>            “Get that from Bard?” Bruce asked after a moment.</p><p>            “Yes, it was my grandfather’s he managed to track it down after all this time,” Helena nodded.</p><p>*</p><p>            “They’re still at the match?” Bruce asked, checking his watch and then his phone as a couple of bellhops stacked the boxes onto luggage carts under Helena’s careful supervision.</p><p>            “It’s barely been three and a half hours, Baseball takes longer,” Helena reminded, “Garden Suite.” She added as a bellhop started off with a fully loaded crate, handing him a folded Euro note as he went, “Just leave the cart I’ll ring the desk when it’s unloaded.”</p><p>            “Yes, miss,” the bellhop gave her a smile as he tucked the fifty-pound note into his pocket.</p><p>            “Baseball barely lasts three hours,” Bruce reminded.</p><p>            “Really?” Helena asked, “Feels longer.” She shrugged, “Oh don’t worry about those they’re just clothes.” She added as a new bellhop with a fresh cart appeared, giving a cardboard box a wary look.</p><p>            “Garden Suite leave the cart?” another bellhop confirmed, moving away with a second full cart.</p><p>            “Exactly,” Helena smiled, handing him a folded £50 note.</p><p>            Bruce frowned looking at his watch.</p><p>            “You have a four o’clock at the building site in Manchester,” Helena mused aloud looking at the mostly unpacked car.</p><p>            “I need to go change,” Bruce told her, looking down at t-shirt and slacks.</p><p>            “Go, I’ve got this,” Helena promised shaking her head, “And I’ll have them keep the car out.” She added.</p><p>            “I’ll check for packages at the front desk,” Bruce smiled, giving her shoulder a squeeze as he headed into the lobby of the hotel.</p><p>            “We’re going to need one more cart,” one of the two bellhops working the car mused as the other prepared to go.</p><p>            “Garden Suite, leave the cart,” Helena told the one leaving, passing him the same tip she’d given the previous two, “We may have gone a little overboard on Oxford Street.” She added by way of explanation as another cart was collect from near the front entrance.</p><p>            The bellhop just nodded putting the final four boxes on the cart and then hanging the broomstick bags from the hooks at the top.</p><p>            “Keep the car here, father’s leaving for a meeting in just a few minutes,” Helena added to the valet, tipping generously, before moving to follow the last bellhop into the lobby and towards the elevators.</p><p>            She and Bruce managed to miss each other as she arrived at the empty suite surveying the three full carts lined up along the dining room wall.</p><p>            “Just here’s fine,” Helena smiled, tipping the final bellhop who nodded leaving the cart and making a quick exit.</p><p>*</p><p>            “Oh, that was AWESOME!” Jason cheered, pumping one fist in the air.</p><p>            “That was long,” Damian observed pouting at his watch.</p><p>            Oliver chuckled, “That’s quidditch.”</p><p>            “Helena said you play for a team at Hogwarts,” Dick remembered.</p><p>            “Yeah I was Captain of the Gryffindor team, its Angelina Johnson now,” Oliver told them with a smile, “She’s one hell of a player, easily one of the best Chasers I’ve ever seen, and a spine of iron. I’m not positive how many spots are available on the team this year but you guys should definitely go to try outs.”</p><p>            “I wanna be a beater,” Jason grinned, nudging Tim in the ribs, “What about you?”</p><p>            “A spectator,” Tim told him, “I’m found of my face the way it is.”</p><p>            “Madam Pomfrey can fix up just about anything, had to re-grow all the bones in my Seeker’s arm once,” Oliver assured him, as they started down the stairs out of the stadiums.</p><p>            “I’m sorry, what?” Dick asked.</p><p>            “My Seeker, Harry, Harry Potter, got targeted by this rouge bludger and it ended up breaking his arm,” Oliver began, “He caught the snitch before he fell off his broom though, always reliable that Seeker. The only time he failed to get the snitch for me was when the match was attacked by dementors, and he feel, woke up a few hours later in the hospital wing. But never mind that, I was talking about the rouge bludger, his arm was broken, but he had the snitch and he only fell a couple of feet when he lost his broom. Then this incompetent professor came running over to fix it for ‘im, and Harry’s begging him to let Madam Pomfrey do it, but he just goes ahead, and instead of fixing the arm he removes all the bones in the arm.”</p><p>            “Should I be avoiding that teacher?” Tim asked, with a warry look, they were at ground level and walking across the open field towards where Alfred had parked the car, a bit of a walk as it wasn’t common for wizards to drive.</p><p>            “Nah, he screwed up a pretty powerful memory erasing spell and ended up in hospital at the end of the year. Not a thing up there anymore.” Oliver tapped his own head, “They say the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor position is jinxed, I reckon it just might be with the recent run we’ve had.”</p><p>            “Really?” Jason asked with a grin.</p><p>            “Well four years ago was a Professor Quirrel who was hosting the spirit of a dark wizard, guy had two faces on his head. He tried to murder my Seeker, Harry, and was accidentally burned to death by a protective charm on the boy. Then we had the incompetent, who as it turned out was also a massive liar and a fake. Then two years ago, my seventh year, we actually had a really good one, Professor Lupin. But when parents found out at the end of the year he was a werewolf there was a coop. Great guy though, really horrible loss to the teaching staff.” Oliver shook his head, “And last year, mind you I wasn’t there in person, but Angelina told me all about it. The real professor got locked in a trunk for the entire school year while a dark wizard posed as him and ended up trying to kill my Seeker.”</p><p>            “Yeah that doesn’t sound like a good record,” Jason mused, they’d come to the road where the car was parked.</p><p>            “Come on, we can get dinner back at our hotel,” Dick offered, “You can tell us more stories, and probably get the chance to see Helena.”</p><p>            “Well, I guess if you’re not bored of me yet, why not?” Oliver grinned.</p><p>*</p><p>            “Hello,” Helena smiled come up to the concierge desk, purse over one shoulder cellphone in hand.</p><p>            “Yes Miss Wayne?” the young woman – a weekday manager who was already rather familiar with the family, when a billionaire and his flock of children come to town, rent their best suite, bring their own butler and drop 50 Euro notes without batting an eye, hotel employees tend to take notice.</p><p>            “You have a car service, right?” Helena asked raising an eyebrow.</p><p>            “Chauffeured cars are available,” the manager assured with a pleasant smile.</p><p>            “I’d like to go shopping on St. James,” Helena smiled to her, “And my brother’s have abandoned me for sports, so I could use a companion.”</p><p>            “I’ll have one of the butlers take you,” the manager nodded, already reaching for the phone to call Ben, one of their butlers who usually worked in the Garden Suite, an unrufflable, non-gossiping man who’d gone on the occasional shopping excursion with some of their wealthier guests before, “The car will meet you out front.”</p><p>            “Thank you,” Helena smiled, leaving a tip on the counter as she turned and headed for the main entrance, texting as she went.</p><p>            “Miss Wayne?” a man – who reminded her intensely of Alfred – asked, stepping out of the hotel just as a black town car pulled into the car park.</p><p>            “Yes,” Helena looked up.</p><p>            “Ben Harford,” he introduced, “I hear you want to go to St. James.”</p><p>            “We’re not staying in London long this time, I thought I’d try to squeeze one final city outing in before we leave for school tomorrow,” Helena shrugged, as he opened the backseat door for her, and then rounded to take the driver’s seat from the valet.</p><p>            “One more shopping trip before I’m shipped off to Scottish Boarding school and locked up behind the ivy-covered gates of academia,” Helena sighed, doing her seat buckle.</p><p>They all had neatly crafted civilian personas – okay maybe Jason and Damian’s were a little faulty – and it became almost second nature to play their roles. And slightly shallow, rich kids armed with Daddy’s gold card and – Helena, as a girl, especially – believing in the healing benefits of retail therapy, was easy to sell, especially given stereotypes, and tabloid news coverage.</p><p>            She sighed slightly, fiddling with her cellphone, and then turning to look out the window. Helena had picked St. James street for a reason – it was a rather well known high end shopping area, frequented by enough celebrities that a couple of lazier paparazzi would hang around and just wait to snap photographs. She picked up her phone turning the camera to selfie mode and gave herself a quick look over as Ben parked the car.</p><p>*</p><p>            “Hell-u,” Tim greeted, tapping his hands on the concierge desk while Alfred explained he was going to take the bags up to the Suite – the boys had picked up a good armful of souvenirs from the game, and they’d had some items in the car from earlier.</p><p>            “Yes, Mr. Wayne?” the blond manager asked looking up to him.</p><p>            “Drake-Wayne, actually, doesn’t matter, just Tim is fine,” he waved as though to brush the whole interaction to that point to the side, “We were hoping to get a secluded table for six,” he looked over his shoulder, “-ish, six chair but big enough we could add a seventh if needed.” He decided, “For an early dinner.”</p><p>            “Let me just pull up the dinner reservations,” she told him her fingers clicking on the keyboard.</p><p>            “Could you call the house phone in our suite?” Dick asked, appearing at his brother’s shoulder, “My cell died and I wanna get our sister down here.”</p><p>            “Miss Wayne went out,” the manager reported, checking her watch, “Shopping in St. James, took a town car and an escort about an hour and a half ago. There’s a lovely table on the balcony available, but dinner service doesn’t start till 6.” She added looking to Tim.</p><p>            “Thanks anyway,” Dick sighed, patting Tim on the shoulder, “I’ll have Jay call her.”</p><p>“Can we sit at the table and order Mocktails from the bar?” Tim asked, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>            “Of course,” she assured, typing, “I’m just putting your name down in the reservation system.”</p><p>            “Hey, do you have one of those like little mini-shops where I could get candy and like, a toothbrush?” Jason asked, leaning against the counter.</p><p>            “You brought a toothbrush,” Tim reminded, he’d seen Jason electric toothbrush with it’s red highlights on the counter in one of the suite bathrooms when he’d brushed his teeth that morning.</p><p>            “There’s a couple of shops one floor up,” she assured him.</p><p>            “I don’t need it to brush my teeth,” Jason shook his head, rolling his eyes and walking back over to his brothers.</p><p>            “Why is that so concerning?” Tim muttered shaking his head, “Thanks… Janice.” He read her name tag, leaving a tip on the counter before following his brother.</p><p>            “Sister,” Damian greeted as the hotel doors opened and their sister breezed in – subtlety slipping the doorman a tip with the modicum of movement only someone with years of practice could achieve, followed by a man pushing a luggage cart with garment bags hanging from the rail and a large pile of boxes and bags from various boutiques.</p><p>            “Up to the suite, just leave it on the dinning table or something,” Helena instructed, tipping the man with the cart before moving to greet her siblings, “I hope you enjoyed the game, I’ve been out cementing our cover.”</p><p>            “And I’m sure that the Ralph Lauren store was a truly grueling experience,” Jason observed, rolling his eyes.</p><p>            “Exhausting I assure you,” Helena chuckled shaking her head, “Oliver, I hope my brothers weren’t too obnoxious.”</p><p>            “Helena,” he greeted pulling her into a tight hug, “They weren’t too bad.” He added with a smile.</p><p>            “We’ve got a table in the restaurant,” Tim reminded nodding in the proper direction.</p><p>            “Lovely,” Helena smiled to him taking the arm Oliver offered her as they followed her brother.</p><p>            “Is it safe to assume that your return to London has to do with a certain dark wizard’s alleged return?” Oliver asked.</p><p>            “Alleged, you don’t believe it?” Helena raised an eyebrow.</p><p>            “I know Harry, if he said that little green men from Mars appeared and killed Cedric with a death ray I’d be a little concerned, probably take him to a professional, but Voldemort returning from the supposed dead, not really all that much of a reach,” Oliver shrugged.</p><p>            “I’d be concerned to, green Martians are about the same size as average humans,” Helena shrugged.</p><p>            “Sometimes you say the weirdest things with a straight face,” Oliver observed shaking his head.</p><p>            “Oh, you oblivious little British wizards,” Helena chuckled, “We’ll catch up.” She added waving her brother’s ahead and moving to sit at the bar with Oliver.</p><p>            “Alright, you wanted some information,” Oliver observed, “two glasses of red.” He added to the bartender.</p><p>            “I’m underage,” Helena reminded leaning to whisper in his ear.</p><p>            “Legal age in the UK is 18,” Oliver told her, “And we both know you’re older than me, whatever claims you make otherwise.”</p><p>            “Are you calling me old?” she raised an eyebrow at him.</p><p>            “Well, for a girl who, as far as I can figure is pushing about 200, you look amazing,” Oliver teased.</p><p>            She chuckled, “Just give me the 4-1-1.”</p><p>            “Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, former Gryffindor student, right hand Minerva McGonagall, currently the Gryffindor head of house and Transfiguration teacher – she’s a little gruff but she’s fair and she’s smart. Severus Snape is the potions teacher, head of Slytherin house, biased towards his house, a pain, and I’d say mildly evil.” Oliver began, “Thank you.” He added taking one of the glasses of wine that was delivered.</p><p>            “Flitwick is teaching Charms, head of Ravenclaw, and Sprout teaches Herbology and is the head of Hufflepuff,” Oliver added.</p><p>            “Sprout teaches herbology, little on the nose isn’t it?” she asked raising an eyebrow.</p><p>            Oliver chuckled, shaking his head, “I don’t know who your DADA teacher is going to be this year, its been changing a lot recently. Oh, and Binns is teaching History.”</p><p>            “Binns?” Helena raised an eyebrow, “As in Cuthbert Binns?”</p><p>            “Yeah,” Oliver nodded.</p><p>            “Damn,” Helena observed shaking her head and taking a sip of her own drink, “I was in his class, his first-year teaching at Hogwarts, sweet guy took over the post when his father retired. Always so cheerful, had a smile on his face and a chocolate candy in his pocket for every student.”</p><p>            Oliver tried his best not to choke, “Things have changed.” He offered after a moment, “I doubt you’ll recognize him.”</p><p>            “It has been a while,” Helena admitted, “But people only change so much.”</p><p>            “He did die,” Oliver offered.</p><p>            “Oh… think he’d recognize me?” Helena asked raising an eyebrow, “We’re trying to keep a low profile.” She added.</p><p>            “He’s…” Oliver hesitated, “No there’s no way he’d recognize you. I sat in the same spot in the second row in his classroom for seven years and I don’t think he’d recognize me.”</p><p>            “Tell me about the students,” Helena told him.</p><p>            “Well, there’s Harry Potter, which you know of course, exceptional quidditch player, seeker recruited in his first-year to the Gryffindor team,” Oliver reported, “His best friends are Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger – Weasley of the Weasleys and Granger a muggle born. She’s a bit of a know it all, but she’s tough. Ron’s loyal to a fault, maybe not the sharpest tool in the shed – but that could just be that he spends most of his time in Hermione’s company and she makes everyone around her look a little stupid.”</p><p>            He paused for a moment, “Ron’s got two older brothers, twins Fred and George – good guys, a little annoying sometimes, bloody fantastic Beaters, play for the Gryffindor team, and a little sister, Ginny – she’s sweet on Potter. There’s also Neville Longbottom, Gryffindor same year, sweet kid, nervous but he has his moments, truly terrified of Snape.”</p><p>            “Then there’s Draco Malfoy, of <strong>the Malfoys</strong>,” he said with distain, “Total spoiled Daddy’s boy, pain in the ass, he’s got a couple of goons Crabe and Goyle – they’ll make your cat look like a Rhodes Scholar, and they’re nearly as built as Jason.”</p><p>            “Are you guys coming?” Tim asked, appearing at the end of the bar.</p><p>            “Two more minutes, we’ll catch up,” Helena assured him.</p><p>            “Keep an eye out for Argus Filtch, caretaker, loves getting kids in trouble and prowls the hallways at night passing detentions out to anyone he finds breaking curfew. He’s got a scruffy little cat called Mrs. Norris,” Oliver rattled off, finishing his glass of wine, “I’ll take another at the table.” He added to the bar tender getting up and following Helena to the table.</p><p>*</p><p>            “So, how much packing is left to do?” Dick asked waving good-bye to Oliver as he wrapped an arm around his sister’s shoulders.</p><p>            “I need to put the things I bought this afternoon into my suitcase, but other than that, it’s done,” Helena told him as the two lazily climbed the stairs to the second floor.</p><p>            “I heard a rumor about like 200 textbooks, are you seriously trying to tell me you had time to pack all that, and go shopping in one afternoon?” Dick raised a disbelieving eyebrow, “How?”</p><p>            “Magic,” Helena smiled to him.</p><p>            “No, seriously,” Dick deadpanned.</p><p>            “Magic,” she repeated laughing.</p><p>            “Oh, come on, I won’t tell the others,” Dick chided.</p><p>            “We’re enrolled in a school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, are you seriously trying to tell me you don’t believe in magic?” Helena laughed.</p><p>            Dick hesitated, “You make some good points.”</p><p>            She chuckled shaking her head.</p><p>            “So… not that I’m questioning the brilliance of Bat-Dad,” Dick started stopping next to an alcove with a fancy looking pot in it, and taking his sisters hand, “But do you think it’s going to be a problem that Jay and I are enrolled in the fifth year and the only magical training we’ve ever had is your three day magic bootcamp which was entirely theoretical.”</p><p>            Helena hesitated, eyes flicking over her brother for a long moment as she took a deep breath, “Nah… should be fine.”</p><p>            “We have no idea what we’re doing,” Dick emphasized.</p><p>            “Just fake it,” Helena assured patting his shoulder.</p><p>            “This won’t end well,” Dick sighed, continuing down the hall to hotel shops and looking through one of the windows, “Any idea why Jason’s buying like eight toothbrushes?” he asked raising an eyebrow.</p><p>            “Yeah,” Helena assured, “You probably don’t want to know.” She added shaking her head.</p><p>            “Wanna just go up to the suite and order room service?” Dick offered, looking across the hall to where Tim was trying on hoodies with the Union Jack flag on the front and Damian was critically examining the corgi bobble-heads.</p><p>            “We literally just had dinner,” Helena rolled her eyes.</p><p>            “Crème Brule, chocolate mousse, and ice cream, delivered to the room,” Dick grinned.</p><p>            “Those are some excellent points,” Helena smiled, “And them…?” she waved vaguely.</p><p>            “The store’s going to close eventually,” Dick shrugged.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Comments are always appreciated!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Wizard's Train</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A good bye, a train ride, and family pride.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Careful, it’s heavy,” Helena repeated, and Jason gave her an exasperated look, “Sorry.” She added shaking her head slightly as Jason and Dick loaded the fourth trunk onto their seventh luggage cart.</p><p><br/>“We really need to re-examine the concept of packing light,” Dick observed – 5 large trunks, 5 wheeled bags, 5 carry-ons, 5 small carrying trunks, 5 duffle bags, and 10 backpacks had been successfully removed from the hotel vans and spread across the luggage carts.</p><p><br/>“There are nine of us,” Tim reminded, Dick raised a confused brow and the younger teen elaborated, “Five siblings, two owls, a cat, and that little rodent.”</p><p><br/>“Oh, you mean Edger,” Helena smiled to him, reaching over to pick the carrying case up from the curb and put it gingerly on top of her own cart, “He’s a black footed ferret.” She explained, as the little face poked out from between the folds of the blanket.</p><p><br/>“Which platform?” Bruce asked, having finished talking to the driver.</p><p><br/>“9 ¾,” Helena reminded, opening her envelope styled purse and pulling out the ticket case.</p><p>“That sounds like a made-up platform,” Jason observed.</p><p>“We’ll find out, won’t we?” Dick asked with a cheerful grin, grabbing a cart and starting off towards Platform 10.</p><p>“How is he so chipper?” Tim groaned, rubbing his own forehead, “Jetlag is going to be the death of me.”</p><p>“Try sleeping at night, squirt,” Jason advised, clapping him on the back before collecting his own cart and following Dick.</p><p>“You will keep an eye on them, right?” Bruce asked, letting the boys go on ahead as he and Helena fell into step with each other and Alfred took the final cart, brining up the rear.</p><p>“I’ll do my best, but I make no promises,” Helena told him with a wry grin casually bumping her shoulder against her father’s side as they caught up with the others.</p><p>“That is a massive design flaw,” Dick laughed.</p><p>“How come people don’t just randomly fall through?” Tim asked, tilting his head as he considered the partition between platforms nine and ten.</p><p>“Perhaps you have to be carrying a ticket to pass through,” Jason offered with a shrug, leaning against the handle of his own cart.</p><p>“If that were the case than the parents wouldn’t be going through as well, think Todd,” Damian chided.</p><p>“I vote Damian goes first,” Jason turned to Helena , “It’d be a win-win, either he’d get onto the platform, or he’d go splat, and I’d be amused.”</p><p>“Jason,” Dick chided, swatting at his brother, who just lazily leaned out of Dick’s reach.</p><p>A clock chimed 10:00 somewhere, and Bruce check his watch in confirmation, “If you don’t want to miss your train, I’d suggest we stop standing here.”</p><p>“After you,” Jason smiled to Damian.</p><p>“Tt-” the younger boy made a face and then proceeded through the barrier.</p><p>“Tallyho!” Dick laughed, breaking into a light jog as he followed.</p><p>“Tally-what?” Jason asked, while Tim laughed and ran after his brothers.</p><p>“Tally-Ho!” Helena told him, running after the brothers, with Jason quick on her heals.</p><p>They unloaded their trunks and larger suitcases into a luggage car before selecting an empty compartment towards the end of the train to claim – and put their carry-on size pieces in the overhead racks.</p><p>“I saw a concessions stand out in the main lobby,” Tim mused as Jason lifted the last of the small carrying trunks into the overhead, “We can get some snacks and drinks for the ride.”</p><p>“We have a packed lunch,” Helena reminded, nodding to a picnic basket that Alfred-the-Cat was using as a seat, “I had the hotel kitchens prepare a little something.” She explained.</p><p>“Be fast, you’ve got twenty minutes,” Bruce instructed, “No more than one soda each.” He reminded reaching for his wallet.</p><p>“I’ve got cash,” Tim dismissed starting back the way they came.</p><p>“He does remember that we’re not in America anymore, right?” Dick asked.</p><p>“I’ve got Euros, I’ll go,” Helena sighed.</p><p>“Get me some skittles!” Jason called after her.</p><p>“And chocolates!” Dick added.</p><p>“Well,” Bruce turned to his four remaining sons, leaning against the doorframe, “I’m going to miss you guys.” He told them while Helena disappeared into the crowd.</p><p>“Tim!” Helena sighed, turning in a circle back in the general population King’s Cross area and spying her brother’s red hoodie in a little shop just to her left.</p><p>“Tim,” she repeated herself dropping a hand on his shoulder where he was examining a display of magazines, “Jason wants skittles.” She announced when the younger teen looked up at her expectantly.</p><p>“I’ll get a basket,” Tim sighed, selecting a couple of National Geographics from the display while Helena headed to the cold display.</p><p>“They have those Sparkling ICE sodas,” Helena observed when Tim was back, already pulling down a few bottles and adding them to the basket.</p><p>“I think I’ll grab some junk food,” Tim grinned, “Meet you in candy?” he offered.</p><p>Helena rolled her eyes and smiled, “Grab me a deck of cards.” Tim nodded starting across the little shop, “Oh and postcards!” she added.</p><p>“I’ll pay,” Tim offered, checking his watch, ten minutes to make it back to the train and a full basket that was really starting to get too heavy.</p><p>Helena shrugged, selecting a mini-hand sanitizer from a display by the check out as a teller rang them up.</p><p>“Really, Tim?” she asked when the seventh puzzle book was added to the plastic bag.</p><p>“It’s a six-hour train ride,” Tim reminded.</p><p>“And you have a Nintendo-DS,” Helena chided, while Tim pulled out his wallet.</p><p>“93.50,” the teller told them, and Tim fished out a pair of fifties.</p><p>“I’m sorry sir, we only accept Euros.”</p><p>“That’s why you followed me!” Tim announced turning to Helena, who was already fishing out bills from her own wallet.</p><p>“Maybe if you didn’t go running off like the white rabbit,” Helena chuckled, “No change.” She added taking two of the plastic shopping bags. Tim rolled his eyes taking the last bag and fishing out one of the magazines as he followed his sister back to Platform 9 ¾.</p><p>“Oh! I am so sorry!” Tim said, dropping his magazine as he bumped into a very readhaired older wizard.</p><p>“Tim!” Helena sighed, looking back at her little brother, “How many times – don’t read and walk!”</p><p>“It’s alright,” the wizard chuckled, shaking his head while Tim collected his magazine from the ground beside him, “No harm done.”</p><p>“Really, one of these days,” Helena shook her head, helping him to his feet and dropping a hand on Tim’s shoulder.</p><p>“Guys!” Dick waved from where he was standing by the train, “Hurry up!” he added tapping his watch urgently.</p><p>“We’ve got to dash,” Tim excused them, hurrying over to Dick.</p><p>“Excuse us,” Helena added, turning to follow and letting their father pull her into a hug just outside of the compartment door, and kiss her forehead.</p><p>“Stay safe,” Bruce instructed, while Jason took the bags from his sister so she could hug their father again, “All of you.”</p><p>“We won’t do anything you wouldn’t do,” Tim promised.</p><p>“Don’t do anything he <strong>would</strong> do either,” Alfred reminded, and Jason snorted, barely containing his laughter.</p><p>“I’m going to miss you,” Helena told the butler, moving to hug him, “Take care of Dad for us, he needs it.”</p><p>“Yeah, he’ll be a complete mess with us gone,” Dick joked from the doorway.</p><p>“The manor is going to be very empty,” Bruce confirmed.</p><p>“We’ll text you, every day,” Helena promised.</p><p>“And send photos,” Alfred added, Jason gave him a mock salute as the first train whistle sounded.</p><p>“Loads and loads of pics,” Tim assured, “We’ll use up the entire data plan.” He added, while Dick gave Helena a hand as she jumped the steps into the compartment, carefully closing the door and then moving with her brothers to lean out the open windows.</p><p>“We’ll see you for Thanksgiving Break,” Jason added, with a grin and Helena sighed, shaking her head.</p><p>“I’ll explain it to them,” she promised, leaning over to kiss their father’s cheek.</p><p>“I’ll see you for Christmas,” Bruce promised, giving Dick’s shoulder a squeeze.</p><p>“Don’t forget to-” Damian began.</p><p>“Let Janice graze on the back lawn twice a week and not let the goose eat popped corn, I know young mister Wayne,” Alfred finished for him with a smile, while Bruce kissed his son’s forehead. A second train whistle sounding.</p><p>“Her name isn’t Janice,” Damian reminded, “It’s Bat-Cow.”</p><p>“I am not calling her that,” Jason shook his head, and then leaned further out the window towards Alfred and added in a mock whisper, “Now’s your chance, while the bat-brat’s with us, make burgers out of the heifer.”</p><p>Damian squawked indignantly and lunged at his older brother while the train started to move.</p><p>“Good-bye!” Tim calling, hanging onto the sill as he leaned out to wave.</p><p>“We’ll miss you!” Helena added blowing a kiss, while Dick ducked further into the compartment to break up the other two.</p><p>“See you soon!” Alfred called raising a hand to wave.</p><p>“Take care of yourselves!” Bruce reminded, finding himself walking quickly after the compartment, “And your siblings! Stay out of trouble. And remember to write!” The train was picking up speed and he was quickly left standing on the platform with a hand still raised in good-bye.<br/>*<br/>“I was only kidding,” Jason was chuckling, while Dick put the still angry Damian down off to the side by the door.</p><p>“I have one hundred and two crosswords to do,” Tim grinned settling down in one of the rows by the built-in table, and Damian moved to curl up across the two seats in another row, Alfred-the-Cat quick to curl up at the boy’s side.</p><p>“I’m not a child,” Damian grumbled as Helena pulled a fleece blanket from one of the duffle bags, she just rolled her eyes and put the folded item next to Damian’s feet.</p><p>“Real food before candy,” Helena reminded Jason, who was just about to open a snickers bar.<br/>“So the rumors are true,” a voice drawled from the doorway as a blond boy opened the door, “American transfers at Hogwarts, and muggle-borns at that.”</p><p>“Do you mind?” Damian asked raising his head slightly, “In or out, pick one.”</p><p>The blond gaped at him for a moment, “Do you have any idea who you’re talking to?” he asked, head raised primly.</p><p>“I don’t care,” Damian told him, and Jason snickered.</p><p>“I am Draco Malfoy, of the pureblood Malfoy family, and no one, especially filthy mud-bloods-”</p><p>Damian growled, suddenly in Malfoy’s face, a fist swinging out of nowhere and knocking the blond back into the hallway, “Do not call my family filthy.” He barked out, over Draco’s howl of pain while Dick appeared at his side, a hand on his shoulder.</p><p>“Don’t worry, it’s only dislocated,” Dick assured, having recognized the strike aimed at the blonde’s shoulder, and leading Damian over to sit next to Tim.</p><p>“Run along to the conductor and get that looked at,” Helena advised, in the doorway now, “Good day, Mr. Malfoy.” She added in a falsely sweet voice, closing the compartment door, and latching it before lowering the shade.</p><p>“Nice restraint Damian,” Jason observed, and Dick gave him an exasperated look while Tim burst out laughing.</p><p>“The boy is <strong>walking</strong> away Dick! And he’s not even bleeding!” Jason reminded, also laughing at this point, “That’s improvement!”<br/>*<br/>In the hallway, Crabe and Goyle helped Draco to his feet and the trio headed down the hall, Malfoy cradling his left arm with his right.</p><p>“Move Potter!” he snapped, his glower a world less threatening given the red rimmed eyes and the blotchy blush on his pale face.</p><p>Harry mutely stepped to the side before cautiously continuing down the hall, eyes flicking to the now closed shades of the compartment as he overheard laughter.</p><p>“’Arry, in here,” Ron called, opening one of the doors on the right and waving his friend in before looking around, “Bit of a commotion out here a moment ago?” he asked.</p><p>“Malfoy got hit by a first year,” Harry told him, still processing the events himself.</p><p>“Good on ‘im,” Ron nodded approvingly and stepping aside to let Harry in, while Hermione huffed and rolled her eyes.<br/>*</p><p>"Do you think she’s got anything with chocolate?” Tim asked leaning against the door frame and raking his eyes over the colorful packages stacked up on the cart as the students in the cabin ahead of theirs made their purchases.</p><p>“Tim, seriously you’ve already had like three of the king-sized Kit-Kats,” Helena chided, looking up from where she was playing Go-Fish with Dick, “You’ll ruin your dinner and destroy your teeth.”</p><p>“Oh, come on, I think I see gummy worms,” Tim grinned at her.</p><p>“Then again, we do have an amazing dental plan,” Helena conceded, with a half shrug, and a snicker from Jason who was a couple rows back with his Nintendo. She casually tossed her purse across the way to Tim, “Coins are in the velvet pouch, I’m sure the vender can help you. Fill her up, get plenty of everything.” She smiled, nodding to the bag.</p><p>“Door – shut it. Person – in or out, pick.” Damian grunted from where he was mostly asleep in the last row of the compartment – decidedly not a child, but using the blanket Helena had provided, nonetheless.</p><p>“You alright, Dami?” Helena asked turning in her own seat.</p><p>“Tt-” he muttered, adjusting his earbuds and turning up whatever he was listening too.</p><p>“On top of jet lag, he didn’t sleep well last night,” Dick explained lowering his voice and leaning towards his sister, “Apparently Tim talks in his sleep.”</p><p>Helena raised an inquisitive eyebrow, and Dick shrugged, “That’s all he told me when I found him climbing into my bed at two am.”</p><p>“Ah… got any twos?” Helena asked, turning her attention back to their game.</p><p>Dick scowled at her, pulling the three cards from his own hand and passing them over, she grinned at him putting the four twos on the table between them and as it was her seventh set, winning the game. Jason groaned, putting his device into his backpack.</p><p>“Out of juice,” he declared flopping down in the spot next to Helena and producing a handful of bills from his wallet, “Hundred buy in, five-dollar anti, Texas Holdem.” He declared, already collecting the cards and starting to shuffle.</p><p>Helena rolled her eyes at him, pushing the cash back towards him, “I’ve got a bag of gummy bears.”</p><p>“B doesn’t like us gambling,” Dick reminded.</p><p>"No, his objection is to us fighting with each other,” Jason corrected, nonetheless returning the cash to his pocket, “And technically the rule is we’re not allowed to bet vehicles, patrols, stocks or clothing.”</p><p>“He’s never specified clothing,” Tim observed, a large paper bag full of sweets in one hand and Helena’s purse in the other, taking the spot next to Dick.</p><p>“Yeah, but I feel we should add it to the list,” Jason explained.</p><p>“Is this because of your unhealthy attachment to your leather jackets, or the skeevy pseudo-incest of getting naked with each other?” Tim raised an eyebrow at his older brother, and winced as Jason kicked him in the shin.</p><p>“Candy first, poker later,” Dick advised, and Jason grudgingly nodded, passing the deck of cards to Helena so she could return them to their box, “Get anything good Tim?” Dick prompted.</p><p>“I got it all,” Tim grinned enormously, tipping the contents of the bag out over the table between them, “Pumpkin Pasties, Chocolate Frogs, off brand Jelly Beans, Licorice Wands…" he trailed off spreading the treats across the table.</p><p>“Licorice me,” Jason grinned, grabbing one of the boxes and ripping the top open.</p><p>“Do you know the chocolate percentages?” Helena asked reaching for one of the hexagonal boxes and peering at the back.</p><p>“I asked if she had them in Milk Chocolate and she said they only came in the one type,” Tim shrugged, “But it doesn’t look quite dark enough to be more than 50-50.”</p><p>“Here, I’ll go first,” Dick chuckled, grabbing one of the other boxes, and opening it with a touch more care than Jason had shown the Licorice Wands.</p><p>"Ah!” Dick nearly jumped out of his seat, and at his shout Damian rolled off the bench coming up into an attack ready crouch, a Sai in one hand. With the reflexes honed into her through years of training, Helena’s hand had shot out and captured chocolate creature as it kicked off Dick’s face making for the compartment window.</p><p>"Oh my god!” Tim gaped, “Is that a real frog?” he demanded, while Jason burst out laughing at Damian’s shocked expression.</p><p>“No…” Dick scoffed, “I mean when you get a chocolate easter bunny there’s no rabbit in there.”</p><p>“There’s no Santa in those chocolate figurines either,” Jason agreed, tilting his head slightly, “Then again, those are in the normal world and they don’t move.”</p><p>Dick frowned, turning his attention back to the frog a little warily.</p><p>Helena shrugged, while the creature wriggled in her hand, “The way I see it we’ve got three options – firstly, bite off a leg and find out, secondly, force it back into the box, or thirdly, open the window and let it make a hop for it.”</p><p>“Couldn’t we just pull a leg off?” Jason asked.</p><p>“Not it!” Tim declared, while Damian glowered around, replaced one of his ear buds and coming over to the table, surveying the option.</p><p>“Well, Dick, you did say you’d go first,” Helena mused, holding out the frog.</p><p>“To find out if it was milk or dark chocolate, not to find out if I was eating a real frog!” Dick grimaced.</p><p>“Just read the ingredient list,” Damian huffed, pushing a few packages to the side.</p><p>“Um… I’m seeing cocoa, sugar, milk, seems pretty standard, no mention of any amphibian ingredients,” Tim declared looking over the open box that Dick had discarded on the tabletop.</p><p>Helena smiled holding out the item to her brother, and even Damain hung around to watch while Dick took a nervous nibble on the frogs toes, then a slightly bigger bite.</p><p>“Chocolate, straight through, solid,” he declared after a moment, “And it’s milk.” He added, finishing it off with a large bite, before licking a little chocolate residue from his thumb.</p><p>“Hey, I think there’s a trading card in here,” Tim mused, shaking the box so the hard card fell out on the table, <em>“Bertie Bott, 1935-2007, Inventor of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans – a Risk with Every Mouthful! Bertie Bott was born in 1935, he invented Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans quite by mistake. His original purpose was to create tasty candies from food. He accidentally included a pair of dirty socks in his experiment!” </em></p><p>"Ew!” Jason dropped the box that he’d just picked up.</p><p>“He doesn’t look like much,” Dick observed taking the card and frowning at the bearded man depicted on the front, “And he’s moving, what is that, a hologram? Miniature vid-screen?” he held it out for Helena and Jason to get a better look.</p><p>“Magic,” Helena explained, sticking the end of a sugar quill into her mouth, and sitting back in her chair.</p><p>“What’s a pasty?” Damian asked, having selected an item from the table.</p><p>“Looks like a turnover,” Jason observed, tilting his head as he looked.</p><p>“Here, take a cauldron cake,” Helena suggested pushing a different item to him, he grunted, took the box and returned to his own row.</p><p>“So… poker?” Jason prompted, with a grin.</p><p>“Hershey’s kisses are worth five, peppermints are worth 10,” Tim declared, pulling some bags of normal candy from the earlier shopping bags and clearing a space in the middle of the table for their game.</p><p>*<br/>“Really guys?” Helena asked rolling her eyes, as Dick passed her backpack to her.</p><p>“We have to change,” Jason reminded.</p><p>“Nothing I haven’t seen before,” Helena deadpanned, “There’s one locker room in the cave – which is admittedly an oversight on Dad’s part.”</p><p>“Just go,” Dick chuckled, holding the door and shooing her out into the hall.</p><p>She rolled her eyes swinging her backpack over her shoulder and heading down the hall to the bathrooms.</p><p>“So, what houses do you think we’ll be in?” Tim asked, pulling off his sweater and fishing around in his bag for a white undershirt – complete with micro-thin Kevlar lining.</p><p>“You tell us, you’re the one who spent the last three hours reading that history of Hogwarts book,” Jason rolled her eyes.</p><p>“Gryffindor for the brave, Ravenclaw for the smart, Hufflepuff for the kind and Slytherin for the cunning,” Dick recited, having read that particular chapter over Tim’s shoulder.</p><p>“So, Gryffindor all around?” Tim guessed.</p><p>“Nah Timbers you’re gonna be in Ravenclaw, I’ll put money on it,” Jason rolled his eyes, “And chipper over here, Hufflepuff, all the way.” He jerked a thumb at Dick, threading a belt through the loops of the crisp new black plants.</p><p>“Lion hearted Gryffindors, that’s my brothers all round,” Helena observed putting her backpack up on a shelf.</p><p>“You were quick,” Dick observed, hurrying to pick up the black dress shoes, and then throwing them back into a bag before kneeling down to re-lace his regular shoes.</p><p>“This is a bad joke, right?” Jason added, pulling out the black robe and holding it up.</p><p>“If I was, would I be wearing one already?” Helena asked, gesturing to the robe she was wearing, “Oh there’s a wand pocket in the lining.” She advised, pointing it out.</p><p>“I will sooner make out with Poison Ivy – plant or person, dealer’s choice – before I wear that,” Jason announced, balling it up and shoving it into the depths of a duffle bag before pulling on a black leather jacket.</p><p>“Thank you for that image,” Tim rolled his eyes, pulling on a sweater vest over his white button down.</p><p>Dick took a moment to look over the siblings as he felt the train start to slow down, with the exception of Jason and his leather jacket they were all really close to wearing the proper uniform. White collared button-down shirts, black slacks and custom belts (with one or two hidden compartments).</p><p>Tim had foregone the tie, and left the top button undone, muttering about how it was too tight, his shirt was untucked but mostly covered by a grey sweater vest, and although he wasn’t wearing the laced dress shoes he’d at least switched to a pair of black converse.</p><p>Damian looked pristine – tucked in shirt, perfectly tightened tie, tucked down the front of his sweater vest, “I like the hood” he muttered doing the top button on his robe.</p><p>Under the leather jacket, Jason’s tie was a little loose, top button undone, with the grey sweater vest, his shirt partially tucked perfecting his jaunty ‘intentionally messy’ style. Instead of dress shoes he wore a pair of laced up Doc Martins that wouldn’t quite qualify as combat boots – but were really, very close.</p><p>Dick’s tie wasn’t as tight as it should be, but he’d done all the buttons and tucked in the shirt before pulling on a long-sleeved sweater and lacing his own pair of black almost hiking-boot sneakers on.</p><p>Helena had pulled half her long hair into a ponytail and tied it off with a black ribbon, just to keep it from her face. She was wearing a the button-down shirt with a tie – neatly tightened under the collar – tucked into a grey pleated skirt with an un-buttoned long sleeve sweater. She wore a functional pair of close toed black heals with a strap across the front, and her long, porcelain legs were bare.</p><p>“You sure you’re not going to be cold?” Dick asked her as she shoved all the stuff still on the table into her duffle.</p><p>“We’re going to be inside,” she reminded shaking her head, as the train came to a complete stop, and announcement was made about leaving bags on the train and proceeding to the school.</p><p>Damian made a face scratching Alfred-the-Cat’s ears and then getting up.</p><p>“They transport it all up for us,” Helena reassured him, swinging her purse over her shoulder.</p><p>“There’s something strange about those horses,” Tim observed nodding to the carriages, and a couple of passing students gave him a weird look.</p><p>“They’re called Thestrals,” Helena explained, “They’re invisible to anyone who hasn’t witnessed death.”</p><p>“Well, that’s macabre,” Dick crossed his arms watching the students flocking into the carriages.</p><p>“We can all see them, right?” Jason asked looking to his siblings, all of whom were nodding, “It’s always nice to receive confirmation that your family is screwed up.” He observed with a grin.</p><p>“You needed confirmation?” Tim asked critically, “Have you seen how much leather and Kevlar’s in our closets?”</p><p>“Have you seen what we’re currently wearing?” Dick added, looking down at the school uniforms they’d – mostly – put on.</p><p>“We’ve worn weirder,” Helena reminded.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>For those who are curious, 'sai' is a three pronged Japanese knife.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>First time posting with AO3 so I apologize for any formatting errors.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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